


Harry Potter and Practical Magic Works too

by fairywm (orphan_account)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Practical Magic (1998)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Independent Harry, No Slash, boys attend another school until the GOF, powerful Harry and Neville., relationships not till way later.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-24
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-03-19 09:53:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 118,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3605817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/fairywm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: After Lily was killed Death watched as the curse rebound destroying Voldemort’s body and decides Harry must be protected. So he give Harry and Neville to the most powerful witches he knows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: Death Lends a Hand

**Summary: After Lily was killed Death watched as the curse rebound destroying Voldemort's body and decides Harry must be protected. So he give Harry and Neville to the most powerful witches he knows.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**AN: I would like to thank my betas for this fic, achieving Elysium, darrelldeam and Nyx Nox.**

**AN:** _I’ve been informed that Jim, my OC, can be taken as a Deus Ex Machina and he sorta can. Harry will fight his own battles and solve most of his own problems with logic. Jim is only here until he give the boys to the Owens women and once or twice after. If that puts you off then please don’t read any further. Also for future chapters, some of the internet had been brought up to 1999, only so the team can communicate with their school in the USA after they go to Hogwarts._

**Hppmhppm**

**_October 31, 1981 around 11 p.m._ **

A tall skeletal figure, known as Death, or Jim, stood stoically by and watched as Lily Potter begged for her son's life. His long flowing black robe cover most of his features, but you could see the bony hands creep from the sleeves.

"Stand aside, girl. Stand aside," the man known as Voldemort said, motioning his hand as if to push her aside by force of will.

"No. Not Harry, take me instead… have mercy." Lily once again begged the most feared Dark Lord of the century. She had heard him kill her husband, and she would do anything to prevent him taking Harry's life, hoping her sacrifice would aid in this endeavor.

"So be it. _Avada Kedavra_." Green light shot out of Voldemort's wand and connected to Lily, making her drop immediately. Voldemort laughed and turned his wand to the baby staring at him from the crib. Not bothering to say anything except, " _Avada Kedavra_ " he cast the same curse that just killed the child’s mother.

Death watched with the two souls of the child's parents as the curse struck the tiny crying child. To their great surprise, the spell they were sure was going to take Harry, rebounded off of the baby's head, leaving a lightning bolt wound to form just above his right eye, and struck Voldemort directly in the heart, which caused his body to burn to ash and left behind a robe and wand. The soul of Voldemort did not join Jim and the Potters; instead, it screeched at Harry and flew out the window.

The spirit of Lily turned to Death and pleaded, "Please, sir, there's a prophecy about my child, can you help him? Take him somewhere where he can learn to protect himself and will be safe. Please, I beg you." Like any other mother fighting for the life of her child you could hear the desperation in her voice, and see the plea’s in her eyes. Her whole soul was crying for this deity to hear her. James’ soul was next to his wife’s and nodded in agreement, eye with the same frantic entreat.

Jim looked down on Harry and noticed the piece of Voldemort's soul imbedded in the slightly bleeding, wound on the child's forehead. ‘ _So, that is why he didn't join us,’_ Death mused. He looked harder and saw the Hallows in this boy's future. Other flashes of the life the child would live passed before his eyes. _‘Yes, this little one needs to be kept safe.’_ Jim made up his mind to help. He bent down and kissed the injury on dark haired toddler’s head, removing the soul piece.

He turned to the Potters and said, "Yes, I believe that I will help your little one. I cannot see the future very clearly, but I can see some. If Albus Dumbledore has his way, this child will live a horrible life, and he will die young. I do not think I will let that happen,” Jim said, in a slightly amused tone. “Journey on to your resting place knowing I will do all I can to keep him safe." He waved his hand to lead them to where they needed to go.

"Thank you, I'll rest better knowing he is in your hands. Let him know that we, his parents, loved him and we'll be always be watching," the red head, green eyed soul of Lily said and with one more fond look at her beloved child— she faded away.

“Tell him that he needs to choose his friends carefully so he doesn’t make the same mistakes we did. Tell him his daddy doesn’t want to see him anytime soon,” the messy haired James said and with a thoughtful look —he too faded away.

Jim looked to the crib. "I can't take you with me, little one. But I will take you to people who will keep you safe." He waved his hand, and he created something like a baby carrier and attached to the inside the front of his fluid robes, before he picked up the exhausted Harry from his crib and placed him there. He cast a spell so that no one would see Harry and so the baby would be light weight and would sleep. He then left the house in Godric's Hollow via the shadows, leaving behind many confused people.

Jim faded back in to reality in the British branch of Gringotts bank. Gringotts was always open, the greedy little buggers. There weren't many goblins this time of night. The lobby was spacious and made in white marble. There were counters on either side of the room. Doors lined up behind those counters, leading deep into the bowels of the bank. Goblins were busy counting coins, weighing gems, and writing in ledgers. At night, not many people came here compared to the bustling day time. Usually only the shady characters of Knockturn Alley ventured here this late. Jim would have blending in perfectly with his dark robe, and hood raised to cover his downright terrifying features. Right now, there were no customers, which Jim preferred.

"I require an account manager, someone to do a heritage test and someone to read the will of Lily and James Potter. If you need to contact their solicitor, then make it quick. Awake him if you must. You may tell him who is requesting his time. Vow him to secrecy. Time is of the essence," Jim snapped out his impatient demands to the goblin at the nearest counter.

"Who are you, wizard, to tell me what to do in such an abrupt manner?" the goblin growled, not really happy to be on this shift. The last thing he needed was a rude wizard who thought himself to be better than goblins.

Jim parted the hood, showing is skeletal face. "I am Death, goblin. Do you wish to defy me?" he asked in a menacing voice that carried around the lobby, making all of the goblins sit up and notice. They all stopped what they had been doing, some going so far as to fall off their perches and hide under the cubicles. They knew was someone here they could not fight, and were all hopeful he was not there for them.

The goblin teller turned very pale, making him a shade of pea green, his black beady eyes widened as far as they were able. His claw like hand shook as they dropped the gems he had been counting. "I am so sorry, sir,” the frightened being began, “please, forgive my rudeness. I knew not who you were. I will see to your demands right away. Please, if you would follow me into one of our conferences rooms. It will only be a few minutes. Please, sir," he begged disjointedly once again, as he fell off the stool in his haste to run and do what this entity wanted done, in fear it would kill him and chose another if he didn’t immediately do what was demanded.

Jim followed the scurrying goblin to a room that consisted of little more than a long wooden table with some straight back chairs. The walls were plain white marble, with no adornments. The floor was a nice and simply wooden floor that had a clean shine to it. He sat at in the chairs on the far side of the wall. He made sure to keep the child hidden in his robe was comfortable while he waited. The poor boy had passed out from expending so much power to block the curse, plus the small sleeping charm Death had placed on him helped him keep his slumber. If his parents had not died for him, and he didn't have so much power — not to mention the prophecy— the poor boy would have died. Not that Jim cared death was part of life, but since the boy didn’t— Jim took interest. However, he did enjoy seeing the living, plus to remove a soul from Fate's hands truly made his night. He would have to be careful as Fate was a sneaky bitch. And they say that three is a magical number.

Jim waited about ten minutes before three goblins and a wizard entered the room.

He cut through introductions and spoke ominously, "First, we need to read the Last Will and Testaments of Lily and James, continue with the heritage test, and finally we need to secure the accounts." He turned to the people who entered; he kept his head hidden beneath his hood, not wanting to scare anymore people— it makes them harder to deal with— but he was willing to do so if necessary.

The wizard, who introduced himself as Mr. Roberts, opened his portfolio and removed two wills. "As Spearhead is the Executor of these wills, I will hand over the proceeding to him. The Potters wanted to make sure that their wills were in as many places as it could be so no one could say they didn't have one. So now I turn this to you, Spearhead,” the portly wizard said as he handed the wills to the goblin next to him.

Jim raised his hand and suggested, "Just give us the highlights for now. I only need to know who will have custodianship of young Harry, so I can get him there safely."

"According to James' and Lily's wills," Spearhead said after glancing through both wills, "Mr. Potter is supposed to go to the Longbottoms first. If they are not available, then he sent to Sirius Black. If he is not available, he is to have a guardian picked out for him by, well, it says you, sir." The goblin made a quick glance at the robed figure, then showed him the part of the will with the name ‘Death a.k.a. Jim’. This caused confused faces to bloom around the room. The bewildered goblin continued, "I'm not sure how that happened, as that was not the will that was signed. It looks like magic itself choose you to be the one to guide Mr. Potter. This is concurrent in wills of both the parents, should they both fall. There is some monetary allowance for anyone who raises Mr. Potter. There are also some bequeaths that will be put in the appropriate accounts when the wills have a public reading. When Mr. Potter comes of age, everything that is left will go to him." He handed the documents back to Mr. Roberts who made three copies and placed them in a stack on the table. Spearhead looked back at Jim to see if he needed anything else from him.

Jim nodded his still concealed head in thanks, "I need both those wills to be read as soon as possible. I thank you both for your time. Of course you _will_ keep this to yourselves— if you don't want a visit from me. I will make sure that young Harry is safely received by the Longbottoms, as soon as I am done here."

Mr. Roberts took up the original will, to be kept in his office. He nodded to the dark man seated across from him as formally as he could, "It was my pleasure, I’m so sorry that it had to come to this. My law firm held the Potters in high regard and they will be missed. I’d like to leave you my card in case Mr. Potter needs legal service when he is older." He handed a card to Death and put the original will in to his case. He was going to keep that as safe as he could, not wanting to anger Death. Then both he and Spearhead, sedately, left the room.

"Now," Jim said to the two remaining goblins, "I would like a heritage test done on young Harry. I want to make sure that he is receiving everything due to him." He removed Harry from his cloak and carefully cradled him in his long boney arms, therefore, having access to the baby’s finger for the test.

The goblin, on the right, introduced himself as Axegrind. "We, of course, will be more than happy to do such a test for you. We've been trying to get the Potters to do this test for decades," he stated in frustration. "They seemed to have forgotten their linage and we wanted to remind them. We have reason to believe that a curse was placed on the family a few decades back, but until one of the heirs came in for the test we could not prove it. We, in the heritage department here a Gringotts, believe that the curse is only on the young men who have come of age. It is something you might want to watch for as Mr. Potter ages. We are not sure who caused them to forget, but they denied us at every turn. Since Mr. Potter is still a toddler, I will of course be as careful as I can. The test doesn't require much blood —just a few drops. I see that he has a wound upon his head, should I just take the blood from there, and would you like us to call a healer to fix that?"

"No," Jim said as he looked at the wound, "he will heal fine on his own. This injury has been contaminated with dark magic, best not use it." Jim knew that Harry needed to keep his scar, even if the reason for it being there had been removed.

"As you say. If you would hold out his left hand, keeping his ring finger secure, I can get some blood to do the test," Axegrind requested, taking the ritual knife he needed into his hand so he could make the tiniest prick on the baby's finger. He would be extra careful, and even though the knife was spelled not to hurt, he didn't want to incur Death’s wrath.

Jim held out Harry's hand and gently kept the finger in place, so the cut could be made. The ritual knife put a small puncture on the finger and drew a slight amount of blood. Axegrind then placed the knife, sharp side down, on the parchment that had spelled for this test. The blood dripped on to the parchment, and after a few minutes, writing started to appear. As expected by everyone there, the test showed that the Potters were descended from Gryffindor and the youngest Peverell. It left Harry with two more vaults, and though they didn't have much of a monetary value, the books and artifacts in them would come in handy as he grew older.

Axegrind picked up the parchment, made two copy and put one in a sleeve to be filed with the Ministry and the other to be placed in the Potter main vault. He then handed another copy to the remaining goblin. He knew he was done here so he nodded his head to Death and left without being told.

Jim turned to the remaining goblin who introduced himself as Bigprofit, which was fitting for an account goblin. He was named so because he was better at making money than he was at fighting. Most goblins admired the fact he brought the bank prestige. However, being as goblins are historically a warrior race, some of his peers tended to look down on the accountant for his name. "I would like all of the accounts in young Harry's name to be frozen, except the trust account that provides the allowance to the guardians,” Jim commanded calmly, leveling his gaze to the remaining goblin, who was sitting nervously at being alone with something that could take his life with a thought. "I want no one to have access to these accounts —I do not care if it is the Minister herself. In addition, I want them protected with the highest security that can be afforded for these vaults."

Bigprofit nodded his head rapidly, "It’ll be done as you say. We’ll set that up free of charge. We want nothing to happen to this young heir's vaults. I’ll set up an account for the main purpose of the allowance, and then when Mr. Potter starts school more will be added for his schooling and supplies."

"So be it. I must take Harry here to his new guardians. I require a copy of the wills so the Longbottoms know that this is the Potter's last wish," Jim said as he returned Harry to the carrier in his robes. Bigprofit grabbed one of the copies of the wills and handed it to Jim, who placed it in another pocket. The goblin then took up the remaining papers to be held in the Potter vault until they were needed.

All told Jim and Harry only spent about an hour in the bank, but it was time well spent. Sometimes it was good to be death.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: now I know that the Gryffindors and the Peverells died out years ago. But, I’m waving my artistic license and saying they have one in this fic. I actually wrote a oneshot explaining why that couldn’t happen in my series of oneshots ‘Little of this, more of that’ the oneshot is called ‘More Vaults’ check it out and see if you agree with me.**

 


	2. Chapter 2: The Longbottoms Peril and A New Twist

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**AN: I would like to thank my beta for this fic, achieving elysium.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_November 1, 1981 just after midnight_ **

Jim slipped from the shadows and appeared quietly outside the Longbottom house. He arrived outside the establishment so that no one inside would be frightened. Even though Jim was one of the most feared of entities known to man, he truly didn't like scaring people. He knew the Longbottoms were supposed to be hidden —however, one can't hide from Death— and would be easily alarmed.

The house was Victorian style, with high windows and a cheery atmosphere. You could tell that it was well cared for because of its simple well-trimmed lawn and the full herb garden, dew and frost glistening off the dying plants. You could see a peek of the greenhouses standing behind the house, the moons rays reflecting off them. The outside of the house was colored in a nice pale blue and the windows were framed with a soft violet. You would never know by the atmosphere that these people were in fear of their lives.

Jim walked up the gravel walkway leading to the front door. He adjusted Harry in the carrier and knocked on the wooden front door. It was late at night, or early morning, and Jim feared he may have to wake someone in the house to get an answer. He was just about to knock again when he heard footsteps.

“Who’s there?” he heard someone nervously demand from behind the door.

“I am sorry to disturb you this late at night. I have come bearing bad news,” Jim replied in a calming voice.

“What sort of bad new? You didn’t answer my question, who are you?” the voice inquired, a little stronger now.

“You may call me Jim. I bring you news of the Potters,” Jim answered, still conveying calm. “I would like to come in and discuss this with you. I mean you no harm.”

A snort of disbelief was heard, “You can say you mean no harm, but how do I know that’s the truth? I have no idea who you are and you haven’t identified yourself. You’ve only told me you bring bad news. How the bloody hell is that supposed to make me trust you?”

Jim gave a heavy sigh of frustration and raised his voice slightly, “Frank Longbottom, know this, I can enter you house at any time. If I meant to kill you or yours I would have done so already. I would however like it if our conversation was not held through the door.” He was no longer trying to calm the young man.

“That really doesn’t help your case, buddy? Tell me what news you have and then go away,” Frank stated firmly, you could tell he was getting just as frustrated.

“I cannot, I have with me a …” pausing to pick the correct word, “package, that needs your attention. Please, let me in or I will simply emerge into your house,” Jim stated firmly. “I have no wish to do that.”

Feeling he had no other choice Frank slowly and cautiously opened the door. He was a young man, with tired brown eyes and messy blonde hair. You could see from the dark rings under his eyes that he had not slept this night. He was grasping a wand tightly in his right hand, though it shook a little. "Why’s your face covered if you mean me no harm?" he slurred slightly, raising his trembling wand to the dark robed figure standing on his doorstep.

"My hood is up so I do not frighten you,” Jim replied once again calm, now that he didn’t have to fight to get the door open. “May I come in now? I promise I will give my news, leave you with the bundle and depart.”

Frank stood back still aiming the wand. “Come in, but no further than the hall here.”

Jim entered the hall. It was an elegant yet simple area. He noticed a side table, with an oval mirror above it. And a tall coat rake to the side, where a few robes were. After his quick perusal, Jim turned to the man and bluntly said, “The bad news I bring is that the Potters were killed tonight by Voldemort. They named your family guardian to young Harry. He needs a good and safe place to heal from his trauma. Voldemort has had his body destroyed, however, I fear he is not completely gone,” Death said the last as softly as he could. The news he brought would be bad enough without him snapping at a man who was only trying to protect his family.

"The Potter's are dead?” the distraught, yet now wide awake, young man cried lowering his wand. “No, not James and Lily, what of little Harry?” he began firing questions. “How did you know they were dead? I haven't heard anything.”

“Yes, they are both dead. I was there when it happened,” Jim stated simply. “They both died by the _Killing Curse_. As I am Death I was there to witness the entire episode.” He gestured to his robe and stated, “I have brought young Harry with me. I’ve already been to Gringotts and spoke with his manager and lawyer. Everything is set up according to the Potters will.”

“Oh poor Harry. Of course we will take care of him," Frank said, moving to get the baby from Deaths robe, only to remember who Death was at the last minute and stood back to wait. "We had a bad feeling something was going to happen tonight so I stayed up. I wasn't going to answer the door, this house is supposed to be hidden. But, I had a feeling that I needed to talk with you,” He gave a great sigh, “Now I'm glad I trusted my instinct, mostly. Sorry about earlier, my family is the most important thing in my life."

"You know of the prophecy?" Frank nodded his head in acknowledgement. "The events tonight point to this young man being the one spoken of. I have taken an interest in making sure he survives so he may fulfill the prophecy and live a long life,” Jim told trying to calm Frank further. He told the distraught young man of what he witness and what he had done after. Jim took Harry from the carrier and handed the sleeping boy to him. The deity informed Frank of the monthly allowance and handed him the copies of the wills. Death did warn him that he would be checking on Harry. Jim then placed a small alarm charm on Harry to let him know if the boy was in great distress.

Jim thought for a minute, "Unfortunately, I did not grab anything from the cottage for young Harry. Time was of the essence and I needed to get to the bank before something… irreparable happened. I will see you soon young Frank,” Jim did not foretell this man passing anytime soon, but he would be returning whenever he could to check on the child. He then faded in his usual way.

Frank looked at where the dark cloaked man had been moments before, and wondered how he had left. Shaking his head at the mystery, he looked down at the baby in his arms. "Well little guy, looks like it's just you and me. I'll introduce you to Neville in the morning. I'm sure Alice will be happy so see you, if upset for the reason."

He walked up the stairs with his new ward and placed him in the same crib as Neville. Kissing his son on the cheek goodnight, he went back downstairs to keep his vigil.

**_November 4, 1981 10:15 p.m._ **

Jim’s head jerked up when he heard the alarm he had placed on Harry. Unfortunately, he was in the middle of sending a large group of people to their final reward. A bus had overturned and many died. He called a minion to take his place so he could go to Harry. He rushed off wondering what could have gone wrong so quickly. He stepped into the shadows of the room, so he could see what was happening unobserved. He came out directly behind Harry. He quickly looked at the scene before him.

From where he was behind the children, he could see a clear barrier in front of them, which seemed to be keeping the spells being fired from hitting. The two young boys were screaming as they watched four dark robed, white masked people, laughing and torturing the couple on the floor. Seeing all this in just a blink of an eye, Jim cast a binding curse on the torturers causing the female, judging from the voice, to scream to at him that they would get free and take him next. With a wave of his hand the people were silenced. Jim knew the Aurors would be there soon—he could hear the alarm.Jim looked that the distressed boys and saw they were relatively unharmed.

With another wave of his hand, Jim froze the room. He didn’t want to have to fight with anyone to do what he needed to get the boys away. He glanced at the couple on the floor and sighed. "I am going to do you a favor, young Neville. I am going to make it so your parents do not suffer years of pain and anguish," he told the crying blonde child.

He created carriers for the boys, casting a sleeping spell on them and placed them in his cloak. Walking over to the couple and leaning down he kissed both of them on the forehead, taking their souls and ending their life. He blew his breath in front of him so both souls were now present. "I am sending you to your final reward. I will take care of the children. It distresses me that I have to do this, for it was not your time. Nevertheless, I do not think that you want Neville to suffer years of anguish knowing he could see you, yet not reach you,” he said, he could see the parents look towards their baby hidden in Death’s robe with sadness and longing, “There is no cure for what you are suffering. You will feel the pain the rest of your life and you will never know your child. This is for the best, for all of you.” The dismayed souls nodded their understanding and faded from view, now happy with the knowledge that their son would be cared for.

Jim unfroze the room and stepped into the shadows once again. He reemerged into the lobby of Gringotts. It was evening, and there were more goblins this time, though not many customers. He stepped to the teller giving the same orders he had given four days prior. This time the goblins had been well warned that this deity might pay a visit. The teller immediately jumped from his stool and showed Jim to the same conference room. He then left the room and went to gather the necessary people.

Jim settled in the same place and made sure the children were comfortable. After about ten minutes two goblins and one witch entered the room.

"I need the Last Will and Testament of Frank and Alice read first," Jim said as everyone was seated. "If only to find out guardianship of the boys, then a heritage test for young Neville and afterwards I will speak to the account manager.” The people around the table nodded. Everyone retrieved what they needed and set the folders and papers on the table.

The witch started, "I’m Ms. Price, the Executor of both wills. How about I just give a summary?" She quickly read both wills and then looked up, "Neville should go to the care of his grandmother, Frank's mother, Augusta Longbottom. If she can’t take him then you’re to find a home for him. It also states that you’re needed to figure out where Harry is to live. The Longbottoms changed the wills two days ago,” she again looked at both wills, "There’s a trust fund set up with an allowance for Madam Longbottom if she takes custody of the boys. If she does not then, she gets a separate vault for her expenses.” The solicitor put the documents on the table and made three copies. “There are some monetary bequeaths that will be given during the public reading.”

"That is agreeable," Jim said as he checked on the boys. He then looked back to Ms. Price and said, "I will need a copy of those wills to take to Madam Longbottom.” The witch nodded and handed one of the copies to Jim. He waved towards the door letting her know he was done with her. Then he looked at the familiar goblin, Axegrind, and waited to be noticed.

Axegrind looked up when the room went silent and seeing Jim look at him expectantly he hurriedly spoke, "If you would hold him still we’ll be done in a moment.” Jim removed Neville from his robes and held him much the same way he had held Harry before, while the goblin picked up the necessary material. The cut was made, the parchment was written, this time however there were no additional accounts. Neville was only heir to the Longbottoms. He made copies of the results and handed one to Jim and took the rest as he left the room, knowing his part was done.

"I’m assuming you want Mr. Longbottom's accounts set up the same way as Mr. Potter's?" the remaining goblin said, not quite a scared as before. He was unharmed the first time, so it was likely that if he followed orders then he would remain that way.

"Yes, Bigprofit," Jim said putting the sleeping Neville back in the carrier, "I would also like to make sure they can enter their vaults anywhere in the world. I will be removing these two young boys from Britain,” he stated.

He would need to head to the Ministry to get guardianship transfer papers. He wouldn’t be leaving them here in England. He had an idea about who to take them to, but he needed the current guardians to sign the boys off to him so he can better place them in a secure home. There was a family of powerful witches that he had scared a few years back. They had tried to raise the dead. He informed them that that was not a good idea and they learned their lesson well. One of the witches was remarried and had children and had moved from the home. The younger one though, with some help from her aunts, would make a good guardian for the boys. This might be just what everyone needed.

Breaking from his musing and facing the goblin in front of him, Jim continued, “With their enemies still about I could be spending all my valuable time rescuing them. I expect you to keep that information to yourself,” He gave the goblin a hard glare —making him shrink back in fear. “I would not even be telling you if you did not need to know in order to set up the accounts.” Coldness flooded through the room at his freezing voice.

The scared goblin shakenly got all the necessary forms out and the two started signing them. After all they were done Jim left the bank and reappeared in the Ministry. He was in the clerk's office where one goes to get legal documents.

The office was small with only a chair, a desk and a few cubby-holes behind them. There was a door to the left hand side of the cubby-holes that lead to the file room. He pulled down his hood and spoke in a quiet voice that carried around the room. "I require two guardian consent forms," Jim told the clerk behind the desk.

The clerk looked up from where he had been reading a magazine, he spotted the skeletal head and whimpered, "T...t...t...t…two ga…ga…guardian consent forms y…you say? I c…can do that. P…pl…please, give me just a ma…ma…moment to find them,” the poor man stammered and hurried to the file room and looked for the documents needed. He was scared to death (pun intended). It was not often people came to this office, preferring to go to their solicitor and they truly didn’t pay him enough for this. "H…h…h…here you ga..ga…go sir. Thank you for your b…b…business. Have a nice day," the terrified clerk nervously handed the documents over, then scurried as far away from the dark form as he could, hoping to be alive when Death left.

Jim looked at the documents to make sure they were indeed the correct ones. After all scared people made mistakes. He subtly cast a charm to make the man forget the last two minutes. He pulled his hood back up and left the office the same way he came. He shadowed in to Augusta's manor.

He could see she was crying, someone must have told her that her son and daughter-in-law were dead and her grandchild was missing. "Madam Longbottom, I am sorry to come to you at such a bad time; however, there are things we need to discuss," he stated as he sat across from the distraught woman. "I fear your grandson is in great danger and I would like to make arrangements with you to place him with people that will protect him."

Augusta Longbottom looked up at the foreboding figure that had just appeared in her secure sitting room, and fainted dead away.


	3. Chapter 3: Discussions with the Guardians

**Chapter 3: Discussions with the Guardians**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**AN: I would like to thank my beta for this fic, achieving elysium.**

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**_November 4, 1981 just before midnight_ **

Jim sighed, stood and conjured a playpen to put the boys in, so they could be more comfortable than they were sleeping in his robe. After settling the boys down he looked around the room. It as a dark room with thick curtains hiding the morning light, that was peeking above the well cared for landscape. There were shelves everywhere, filled with delicate knick-knacks and old wore books. A few chairs and tables placed in a circle in the middle of the room so that anyone sitting there would face each other. It looked like any other well-bred lady’s parlor.

He looked at the woman on the ground and went to wake her up. He knew that the news he was bringing might cause her more distress, but the boys needed to be protected. Well truly only Harry did, but it would be better if he grew up with a friend that could be as close as a brother. After all Jim’s main mission here, in the land of the living, was to make sure Harry grew up well.

He waved his hand and woke Neville’s grandmother up. When she awoke, he helped her off the floor and gently set her down in the chair she had fallen from. “I am sorry to have scared you, that was not my intent. As I said your grandson is in danger, and I would like to make arrangements with you so that I may take him to a place where he will be safe. I promise you that the people I have in mind to raise him will give him a good life. And of course, I will be keeping a watch on him and young Harry,” He said softly as he tried to comfort her. Death, however, was an apathetic being and knew little in the ways of consoling people.

“I just lost my son and daughter-in-law and now you want me to give up my grandson,” Augusta snapped wrenching her hand back from where it laid still in Deaths boney one, having not been released when he helped her sit. “They told me that Neville and Harry had been kidnapped. I thought they were in the hands of Death Eaters,” she said laughing mirthlessly at the irony. She stopped suddenly and then glared at the hooded figure in front of her. “You will need to give me a better reason than he is in danger. How do I know that he is not in danger from you? You are after all Death,” the fierce grandmother said looking at her only grandson. Yes, she had recognized this deity right away. She was not sure what Death wanted with the child, she wasn’t even sure what she would do with him. She knew she was getting on in years and wondered if she had the energy to raise another child?

“Madam,” Jim said as he retook his chair, “you know as well as I do that there will be many pure-blood Death Eaters that will do anything to escape punishment. They have gone after your grandson once; do you not think they will do it again? While I am sure that you will do your best to protect the child, there is only you and your brother here in this house. You are both at an age where protecting anyone other than yourselves would be a chore hard accomplished,” he stated firmly, not even trying to be gentle. “The boy will need to have someone his age to grow up with if he is to grow up happy. And I know you will not want to take young Harry, I can see it in your soul. You are a bitter old woman who blames a child for the death of you son.”

“How, dare you speak to me in such a way,” she fumed, her blue eyes glinting with anger, fist white as they gripped the arm of her chair. In her grief forgetting who she was talking to. “Why do you think he would not be happy here? Are you saying that I would neglect my own grandchild? He is all I have left of my Frank.”

“If he stays here he will be lonely and depressed, because he will have no friends. You and your brother are cantankerous old people that are very set in their ways. There are no other houses in this area. Can you truly tell me that it would be to the child’s benefit to stay with you? Or are you just being selfish?” Jim demanded, using what he could to get this woman to think for a minute. He knew that she would blame the child for his father’s death and that would not be healthy in any way. He was not above using guilt instead of logic to make her see reason. He knew he shouldn’t be giving her such a hard time, however, he also knew she was bullheaded and he needed to be firm in his dealings. “The people I want to take responsibility of them will care for them— the boys will live as brothers. I will make sure that you get progress reports and pictures so you know that your grandson is healthy and happy. If you agree to this you will need to set up a muggle Post Office Box to receive these reports as the people I am taking him to live as muggles, on the other hand they are surrounded by magic.”

Augusta settled back down at these words and was thoughtful. She pondered the words of the immortal in front of her. She knew he spoke the truth, but her selfishness was getting in the way. She just lost her son, damn it all to bloody hell. There was an inner battle going on in her head. Could she really give her grandson to someone she didn’t know? Still if it made the child happy then maybe it was for the best. After about thirty minutes of silent debate, which Jim waited patiently to end, Augusta spoke, “I have thought about this and perhaps you are correct. I think the boys need to be outside of Britain. It’s been less than a week and already they are calling Harry the Boy-Who-Lived, making him a hero for something he had no control over. Stupid sheep, they have already forgotten that his parents died that night. Perhaps, it would be best if Neville was raised away from here,” she conceded and then requested. “Tell me more about this family.”

“Very well, there are two aunts and two sisters. The sisters are as different from each other as the night is too the day. The youngest sister is the one I would like to place the boys with. She too has suffered from a recent trauma and I think having the boys will help all of them heal. She lives with her aunts. The ladies are all very powerful witches, practicing a different type of magic than yours. Together they can train the boys to do what you would call rituals and wandless magic. There is a magic school near where they live, so there is no need to worry in that area,” Jim explained as best he could without giving out too much information.

“I will not tell you exactly where they will be,” he continued, relaxing back into his chair now that the old woman had calmed, “because there are too many people that are going to look for the boys to use them for their political games. I will let you know that it is a peaceful place, not touched by the war that has torn through Britain. The environment is calm and there is plenty of room for growing boys. The family is a little eccentric, but I will stress to the women that the boys be schooled in etiquette. From what little I can see of young Harry’s future, both will return to England when they are fourteen. All I can see if that it is a pivotal point of fate.”

“You can promise me that he will be taken care of, better than if he stayed here with me?” Augusta asked. If what Death said was true then it was the least she could do for her grandson.

“You have my word. If this does not work the way I have planned then I will bring the boys back into your care,” Jim said putting his skeletal fist to where his heart would be, if he had one, to show that he was indeed giving his word.

“Very well, do you have the documents that are needed to transfer guardianship to you?” Augusta asked, actually relieved that her grandson would grow up happy. The more she thought on Death’s words the better she felt about this. She and her brother were not tolerant enough people to be having two young boys running around the house.

“Yes I have them here,” Jim said as he pulled the documents from his robe. He handed one to Augusta to read and sign. He made sure that she left the recipient blank. He would need Gillian Owens to fill that part out.

Augusta signed where he indicated. “I want to thank you for taking the time to help my grandson. I did not know that Death interfered with the living,” she said and handed them back to Death when she was done.

“Every thousand years or so Fate upsets the balance by creating a prophecy. Had there not been a prophecy then I would not have interfered. I only stepped in to… curve Fates hand. I cannot completely change the future but I can help even the odds, so to speak,” Jim said taking the signed document and put it in his rode.

“I need to ask two small favors from you,” Jim said returning his gaze to the Longbottom Matriarch, “If you could watch the boys for about an hour, maybe less. There is one other place I must go and it would be … unhealthy for them to come with me. The sleeping spell I put on them will last that long. I also ask that you send one of your house elves to retrieve young Harry and Neville’s belongings from the house your son lived and the cottage young Harry and his parent lived. It would help immensely if they had something to remember their families. It will also help the people I am taking them to, to not have to purchase all new things.”

“Of course, I will watch the boys. I want to say good-bye to my grandson before he leaves,” she said fondly, then called a house elf.

“Put the children’s things separate; the cribs, the toys, the clothes and perhaps pictures of their parents. Pack the rest of the houses and put anything of value in their vaults, perhaps you should get some help,” Jim told the house elf that popped at his side.

“Yes sir, Master Deathy, sir,” And with a ‘pop’ the elf disappeared to do as it was told.

Jim turned back to Augusta. “I must leave. I will be back in one hour or less,” He said standing, stepping to the corner, where the shadows were the darkest, and then fading away towards the pull he felt from young Harry’s godfather. He could feel everyone connected by magic to the boys. It will serve him well in the future.

Jim reappeared in a cell in the depths of Azkaban. The Dementors fled when they felt his presence, in fear that Death would kill them. He was the only thing that could. Jim looked upon the person sleeping fitfully on the small cot. He looked around the dark grey, slimy cell and saw only the cot and a bucket. There was one thin and torn blanket attempting to keep the person huddling under it warm, in this very cold stone prison. Jim gently shook the man to wake him. “Sirius Black, I need you to wake.”

The man on the cot woke and groggily looked up at Jim. “Who’s there, is it time for my trial?” and then taking a closer look at the presence in his cell with him. “AHHH! Who the hell are you? What the hell are you? Oh Merlin I’m going to die, that or I’ve gone crazy. Funny, I thought it’d take longer,” Sirius said in confusion, still laying on the floor where he had fallen to get away from the man in the liquid like cloak.

“I know not about your trial Mr. Black. I do know you are innocent; however, I cannot talk on your behalf. I am Death, you may call me Jim,” Death said with a slight nod of his head, he knew this man was in young Harry’s future. “I am not here to send you to the beyond. I need to talk to you about your Godson,” he said as he sat on the cot next to Sirius, after retrieving the prisoner from the floor. “I am going to be taking him out of Britain where he will be safer and I would like your consent. I do not need it. Nonetheless, I did not want to take your godson away without your knowledge and consent. Thereby negating any chance the people I am sending him to being brought up on kidnapping charges.”

“You want to take Harry out of Britain? Why?” Sirius demanded. He already felt as if he had failed James and he didn’t want to do the same with Harry. “I was going to take him when I got out of this hellhole. I’m sure Dumbledore is working on a way to get me out. If only that rat bastard traitor hadn’t gotten away,” he said, thoughts muddled as to why Death was here and not Dumbledore.

“Mr. Black I do not see you leaving here anytime soon. From what the people who have died have told me, as they pass to the beyond, Dumbledore has already spoken for Severus Snape —yet tells your Wizengamot that you are guilty of the crimes which you were arrested for. Many were very angry about this fact, feeling that justice has not been served. You cannot be there for young Harry. I can assure you that where I am taking him, he will be well cared for. I just need you to sign this document,” Death said removing the document from his robe and tried handing it to Sirius.

Sirius didn’t take it though, he was just staring at Jim completely gobsmacked. “What!!! Snape’s free while I rot here?” he bellowed, as he stood and started pacing, throwing his hands the air and ranting all the while. “What kind of bullshite is that? Are they even going to ask me what happened?” the hysterical man asked still fuming around the small dank cell.

“As I said before I can do little to get you out of this place. I am only here to help young Harry. I will tell you this when Harry disappears they will more than likely come and speak to you. To see if it is some elaborate plan of the Death Eaters, tell them of your innocence then— but do not speak of me,” Jim explained trying to get the angry man to see reason. “If you speak to the correct person you may just get a trial. When young Harry is older he can send you letters to let you know that he is well. You will need to set up a muggle Post Office Box to receive them.”

Sirius waved the last comment aside, still in shock that Dumbledore thought him guilty. “Lily set us up with one of those years ago. I paid for twenty years ahead. It was a once in a life time deal. I think I have about fifteen years left. If I get out of here before then,” Sirius mumbled absentmindedly, as he retook his seat on the cot. He turned to Death and said, “So are you going to tell me where you’re taking Harry? You said you didn’t need my permission and that this was all a formality. Since I don’t know when I’ll be getting out I might as well sign the damn forms for you.” He then retrieved the forms from Jim’s skeletal hand, which was still extended towards him. “You got a quill? Not like there are things like that in here,” he said sullenly indicating the room.

Jim handed him a never-out quill from his robe. He pointed out what to fill in and what not. “I cannot tell you where young Harry will be going. I can only give you my word that he will be safe,” He took the forms and placed them in his robe, “I will take my leave of you Sirius Black. I will endeavor to explain to him what has happened to you. Remember my words.” Were the ominous words floating around the cell as he faded away.

 


	4. Chapter 4: A Grandmother Goodbye and Meeting the Witches

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**AN: I would like to thank my beta for this fic, achieving elysium.**

**AN2: according to Practical Magic wiki, the Owens witches lived in New Salem or Rhode Island, depending on if you go by the book or the movie, I went with the book so it's New Salem.**

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**_Still November 4, 1981 around afternoon tea time_ **

Jim appeared back to the sitting room of Longbottom manor. Augusta was holding a sleeping Neville and rocking him. Crooning sweet nothings and pleas for understanding in his ear, tears running freely down her distraught, yet determined face. Kissing his forehead and petting his blonde hair.

Young Harry was still asleep in the playpen Jim had conjured. There were miniature trunks in front of the playpen.

“Do you know which of these trucks are for the children?” Jim asked Augusta looking at the many trunks and hoping they were not all for the boys.

Augusta looked up from the last reminder of her son and waved to the trunks. “The four on the right are for the boys. The rest is the furniture and the rest of the houses belongings. I had the house elves leave it here so that I may look through it later and figure out what was valuable and what was not,” She said as she kissed Neville on the forehead one last time and placed him next to Harry in the playpen, knowing that it would be a long time before she saw him again. She was trusting that she had made the right decision.

Jim took up the trunks she indicated and put them in his robe. He then conjured the carriers he had used before and picked up Harry and placed him in the first one and the placed Neville on the other side. He waved his hand and the playpen disappeared. “I will be leaving now. Take heart that all will be well. If not then I will return the boys into your care. I recommend you set up that Post Office Box and I will make sure that the sister writes and tells you how the boys are faring. I will be returning for a short visit to get the address, so do it today if you can,” he told her, and then he and the boys disappeared into the shadows.

**_New Salem, mid-morning_ **

Jim appeared near a house in New Salem, Massachusetts, a relatively small town where the witches were well known. Not well liked, but respected enough that the boys would not fair too badly. After all if he was only going to curve the line of destiny, then Harry needed to have some hardship in his life —and children can be cruel. Jim did not want the major adversity that Dumbledore had planned for young Harry, so he chose here instead. Since the witches were known here any accidental magic the boys did would hopefully be brushed off as a quirk of the Owens family.

Given the time difference it was mid-morning here. Jim made sure the boys were well covered and warm as it was as cold here as it was in England. After making sure the boys were well, he proceeded through the white picket fence that surrounded the large house.

There were large square garden littering the front lawn, covered in dew and frost. A large glass greenhouse, covered in dying roses, stood to left of the house. The house sported a large front porch that had furniture scattered it in small clusters. Small tables could be seen on the small hill just behind the house. Chess boards and games could be seen on the various tables. Gravel walkways webbed the entire yard, leading to the various entertainment spots. Dozens of cats prowled around looking for wayward birds.

Jim ascended the porch and knocked on the door, hearing a lot of noise in the house, he made sure to knock loudly. He could hear running footsteps coming to the door.

A young woman answered the door. She had long reddish blonde hair, a cute pixie face, body like a runway model, dressed in a small black nightgown and covered with a see-through robe. She took one look at Jim, who was still covered with his robe and hood, and yelled for her aunts. The last time she had seen this… person; he was chastising her and Sally for trying to bring Jimmy back from the dead. They hadn’t meant to kill him in the first place and were only trying to right the wrong. If he hadn’t been a drunk and abusive asshole then he wouldn’t have died and they wouldn’t have tried to bring him back or had to kill him the second time. This _person_ let them know, after they finally exorcised Jimmy’s spirit, what a big mistake that was.

Oh they would have learned their lesson by themselves, after all the aunts told them time and again when they were growing up, that one shouldn’t raise the dead. They had warned Sally that those brought back from the dead would not be human —but something dark. Of course the aunts were correct and Jimmy came back much worse than before, which is why they killed him the second time. This _person_ let them know if they weren’t going to listen to their aunts; they better damn well listen to him. And that scared the bejesus out of them, they won’t do that anymore. Sometime Gilly wished the Book was not enchanted, so they could just remove that ritual but the magic on the Book prevented that. The aunts said it was to teach responsibility.

The Book was a Book of Shadows that has been passed down to the Owens women for over 300 years, created by the first witch in the family, Marie Owens. Most Owens women took up their family name after the passing of their loved ones. It was part of the curse that made them to this.

The Owens curse made it so the men the women of the Owens family fell in love with were doomed to an untimely death. This curse was cast by a distraught Marie Owens when she was abandoned by her true love to raise a child on her own after being cast into exiled from the village where she lived.

There were more footsteps and the Aunt Frances and Bridget (Jet) appeared, dressed in long nightgowns and button up housecoats, which covered them completely. Both sported long grey-brown hair arranged in sloppy buns.

Jim held up his hands and said, “I come in peace. I have an offer for young Gillian here and I am in need of a great favor —I believe that she can help. I also feel that this offer will benefit her as well. Please, may I enter your house? I promise I mean you no harm,” he said trying to placate the shocked witches.

Gilly and the aunts looked at each other, their confusion showing on their faces. What could this _person_ want from them? They hadn’t tried to raise the dead again. “Wow, didn’t think I’d see you again. Well I was hoping I never saw you again, well at least ‘til I died. Which I’m hoping will be many years from now. It will be many years from now, right?” the young witch said, with nervous doe eyes. When all else fails flirting with something that scares you rarely hurts. Of course it didn’t work the _persons_ face never even twitched, sighing Gilly and the aunts moved out of the way to let Jim in the house. Aunt Jet led them to the living room.

The living room was like the rest of the house and fairly cluttered. The furniture while matching was never the same pattern, it varied from flora to sea scenes. Gadgets were scattered all around the room. Pieces of their practice could be seen everywhere: alters, small animals, crystals, daggers, and a crystal ball of all things. To say the women were eccentric was an understatement; however, it was tastefully done and gave off an aura of welcome.

After the women settled Jim started to pace for a minute gathering his thoughts, he wanted to do this in as quick and succinct way as possible, giving them a lot of information without over encumbering them. He stopped pacing and looked at the women in front of him and then spoke, “I need for you to listen. I am going to impart a lot of very important information to you. I haven’t much time; I have been too long away from my duties as is.

“I have with me two toddlers that are in need of care. Both of their parents are dead, killed in a war in their community. One of these boys is a Destiny Child, a prophecy has been given and he is one of the key players. He needs to be kept safe and he needs to learn all you can teach him, in addition to what he will learn in the magic school you will send him to,” Death said, waving off the question for the moment. “The other child is the same age; I had hoped the boys could grow as brothers. I am asking you, Gillian Owens, to take up this task,” he said taking his place in a sea scene chair, in front of the witches. He looked at the expectantly as he settled into the chair, taking care as to not wake the children still in his robes.

“Ummm let me get this straight,” Gilly said running her hands through her hair. “You want me, and not Sally, to raise children. Have you gone completely mad? I mean, come on, I’m not the responsible one. I like to party, and sleep with lots of men—I get into a lot of trouble. Do you really think I can raise children sanely?” Gilly asked, she looked at Death as if he had lost all his marbles. And wouldn’t that be weird.

“I have thought hard on this and I feel that you and your aunts would be the best guardians for the children. They need a mostly carefree environment to grow in. Your wild side is just what they need to not take life to seriously. Though, I do stress they both be taught etiquette, just not as strictly as they would have been taught if they had been raised where they come from. They will have a major part in their government when they come of age,” Jim said, he stood and conjured a playpen to put the children in. “You have to understand these boys need to be raised outside of their home country. There are many who would use them in politic games. One man was going to put young Harry in a home with people who hated magic. He would have been grossly mistreated. You three can raise them carefree, yet with a strong sense of responsibility, hence the aunts. For all they are carefree, they know the lines that must not be crossed,” he stated with a pointed look at Gillian.

Taking first Harry and then Neville and putting them in the playpen. He cancelled the spell that had kept them asleep. The boys woke with a jerk and looked fearfully around hoping the people that scared them earlier were gone. After all, the last thing they remembered was Neville’s mum and dad screaming, the mean people laughing, and that scared them. The boys started crying in earnest, wanting someone to hold them and make the bad feelings go away.

Jet stood quickly and picked up the nearest boy, which was Harry, and started rocking him. “Oh you poor dear, what’s wrong? Shhh, it’s okay, Shhh come on honey, calm down,” she murmured his ear.

Frances picked up the other boy and rocked him to. “What happened to them? Why are they so scared?” the elderly witch asked Death as she stroked Neville’s hair and bounced him gently. “Shhh, hush sweetheart, oh my precious little boy, it’s okay, Aunt Frances has you now, shhh it’s okay.”

“The last thing they remember, before I put them to sleep, was Neville’s,” the dark cloaked pointed at the child in Frances’ arms “parents being tortured with a pain curse,” he explained as he pulled the trunks from his robe. This confused the witches as to why he would be carrying doll furniture, these were boys after all. “I did not get there in time to save the parents. Young Harry,” he pointed at the boy in Jet’s arms, “has known of four people murdered this last week and I am sure that he is frightened of all the new people, though he really does not understand what happened. The only thing they do understand is that their mums and dads are not here anymore. You must see that the boys need people who will care for them. I am afraid that their last living relatives will do more harm than good.”

“That’s horrible,” Aunt Frances said, still rocking the baby in her arms. “Oh, you poor precious darling, it’s okay, shhh,” she continued to comfort the child.

“Yeah, I can see that. I mean look at them they’re really scared, but my question is, why me?” Gilly said looking at the distraught boys. Her heart went out to them, but after everything that happened lately with Jimmy and the whole possession thing she didn’t understand why Death would think she would be helpful.

“It is my understanding that mortals need love to overcome hardships,” Jim said flatly looking to the two women pacing about trying to ease the still crying boys. “I know your aunts love you and you love them in return. Nevertheless, I feel that if you had someone of your own to give love to, then together, you and the boys can heal each other,” he explained, taking a seat now that he had removed everything needed from his robe. “I have some forms for you to sign that will give you guardianship of the boys. I do not feel that you should adopt them as I do not want the Owens curse to pass on to any daughters they may have in the future. Also, they must retain their family’s name if they are going to take up their positions later in life. Even a hyphenated name with Owens might pass on the curse.”

Jim didn’t want that for the boys.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want that either. Though, I think we broke the curse when we banished Jimmy, we both felt a snap on our magic and felt lighter for it. I mean Sally cast that spell when she was younger just so she wouldn’t fall in love. Image her surprise when the man she didn’t think existed showed up. If it hadn’t been for the aunts,” giving a withering look to the two still pacing aunts, “making her fall in love with her first husband, she would have never felt the curse in the first place.”

“We only wanted to make her happy and besides she got two wonderful daughters out of it,” Aunt Frances said still rocking Neville, who was quieting down. The boys were sniffling and taking a look around the room, with big curious eyes. There were many things there to catch the eyes of toddlers.

“Be that as it may, I do not think we should take that chance,” the deity determined as he waved off the statement. “Now, let me tell you about the community whence boys come from. There is a secret enclave, which houses a cohort of wand using witches and wizards. They have been hidden from the non-magical world since 1692. They have their own government and are self-sufficient. They have schools that teach the children how to do wand magic. There is a similar district in Salem, which has a shopping area that you can obtain books and other purchases from, it also houses the nearest magical school.

“Wizarding Britain has just gone through a civil war, young Harry caused this war to mostly end,” Jim said as the now seated witches looked at wonder to the small sniffling green eyed child, “You see, there are three factions to the community, there are the pure-bloods, that feel that only families that have at least five generations of witches and wizards in their family tree should learn magic, anyone else they want gone or killed. There are the neutral families, which consist of pure-bloods and half-bloods that will not take sides in this debate. Then there is what is known as the Light side, which have all flavor of witches and wizard, who feel that magic is a gift to be shared by everyone. This war had ongoing since wizards first learned to record their history. It peeks when a Dark Wizard or Witch comes into power and gathers and army to take out the opposing sides.”

The aunts placed the now quiet boys back in the playpen as they were squirming to be let down and the house was not child proof. They returned on the couch next to Gilly and paid close attention to this very interesting story. The boys were babbling to each other not paying attention to the adults, still looking around at all the pretty _toys_.

“This last incursion there was an evil wizard. He calls himself Lord Voldemort; a name he chose to mock me,” Jim settled further in his chair and continued, “This man was leading the pure-bloods, though he is a half-blood. He is the other one named in the prophecy I mention earlier. When he came to young Harry’s house four days ago, he killed the child’s parents and tried to kill him. I am unsure what happened, but the _Killing Curse_ he fired at young Harry rebounded back to him and destroyed his body. A piece of his soul, because it was so unstable, attached itself to the wound on young Harry’s forehead. I removed that piece,” he quickly said to the witches seeing their faces morph in horror. “I fear he has created more objects that contain parts of his soul that keeps him in the land of the living. He survives only in a wraith form, meaning that the prophecy is still in play. I am blind to the pieces as the spell that is used to create them keeps them from my sight, which is their purpose.

“Upon seeing the death of Lily Potter and having her soul beg me to remove her child to safety. It gave me the ability to see a little of what his fate would be, it is connected to artifacts that are connected to me. I saw the bleak future and death, so I removed him from the home and took it upon myself to find who the next guardians were to be. I left young Harry in the Longbottoms care, as per the Potter will. The Longbottoms are Neville’s now deceased parents. I placed a spell on young Harry to let me know if he became distressed. When that alarm activated, and the Longbottoms died, I removed both boys and decided then that they needed to be taken out of Britain.

“That is when I thought of you. If Harry Potter is to defeat this man he needs to be taught all he can so he has a fighting chance. Do you see now why I want young Harry here? You use magic in a different way than the wand wizards and in the long run it will be beneficial for these two young boys to learn all forms of magic available to them,” Jim expounded hoping that they would understand what he was trying to convey to them.

“So you are saying that this… Lord Voldymort is still out there and he created things with parts of his soul. How creepy is that?” Gilly shuddered thinking about that dark magic. “And you want us to teach Harry how to fight and protect himself. You do know that we try not to harm anyone, right?” She looked at Death, “I mean most of our magic is for good stuff. How are we supposed to teach Harry… ummm protective magic, which we don’t know much of? Most of what we have are passive curses, I mean there are some… questionable spells in the Book, but most them are for love and happiness and such,” She said hoping that he was not asking them to train a warrior or something.

“Young Harry and Neville will be invited to a magic school, where they will be taught to defend themselves with a wand. I believe the one here starts at eight years old. What I want you” Jim pointed to each woman, “to teach them is the wandless and ritual magic’s you use. I want you to teach them to get in touch with their magic so they can feel the power they have. This will give them a sense of peace that they will not learn in the wizard community. I feel that the spells and rituals in your Book of Shadows will give young Harry a bigger capacity to love, which is what he needs to learn. Voldemort has no aptitude for love, so this can be used against him. This is not something taught in the wizard institutes.”

“Yeah, about that, if there is a hidden community then why don’t we know about it? I mean we’re witches. Why wouldn’t they invite us join?” Gilly said looking to her aunts for confirmation. They nodded in agreement, they knew nothing about any hidden world and there was nothing in the Book about it either.

“When the Statute of Secrecy was first established with the International Confederation of Wizards, much like your United Nations, your ancestor, Marie Owens, was invited to join. She and a few others, however declined, not wanting to have what they learn dictated by a government, and did not take the oath required. She was also so hysterical about the father of her baby abandoning her, that she didn’t want anyone to have any control over her and her family. The people that did not want to hide were told that they could no longer use wands, as wands were now regulated. To use them in the non-magical world was either a death sentence or a jail sentence. Since Marie was a Muggle-born she had not used a wand, because in the new world where the community was rather small and the schools had not been established yet. There were no shopping centers; if one did not have a family wand then they usually did without. The people not going behind the Statute were also told to not let non-magicals know they were witches and wizards.

“Your family never really followed that rule. Marie Owen was almost hung for her witchcraft and I know that everyone in this town knows you are witches,” Jim glanced at the thoughtful witches as they tried to process everything he was telling them. It was a lot of information. “You even use your magic for them —for a price. Some of the magic you use would get you sent to prison, for it is labeled dark —like your love spells. Nevertheless, since your ancestors did not take that vow and you never really hurt the non-magicals, there was little the wizards can do. Since, their government was not set up until after the non-magical war with Britain was concluded. That and they can only trace wand magic and since you do not use a wand they have no idea that magic is being used in this area. If it registers at all it will be brushed off as accidental magic and someone will come and see if harm was done and if not then they will just leave.

“I also feel some very old wards on this house that shield you from the wizarding world. The only magic that will register is what you use outside of your property,” Jim continued, the witches glanced at each other in confusion. “This house must have been in your family since before the wizards went into hiding. In conclusion, when the wizards did go into hiding the knowledge of the community was lost to your family, causing them to create new ways to use their magic.”

The aunts continued to look at each other; they didn’t know there were wards on the house. Maybe they should go to this magic town and see what else had been hidden from them.

“Yeah, that was kinda an accident,” Gilly said, bringing everyone back to the earlier comment. “We didn’t mean for the whole town to know, but we really needed help. That was a bizarre time, ya know? Don’t worry, I’ve learn my lesson about messing with death. I get what you’re saying, you want us to teach the boys the magic we use and then they can incorporate it to the wand magic. I wonder if we can use a wand. How cool would that be? Are you going to tell us how to get in touch with this wizard place?” Gilly asked as the aunts listened in, if they were going to do this, then they needed all the information they could get. They all turned their heads and looked at Death expectantly.

Jim expanded the trunks with a wave of his hand and looked inside to see if he could find toys for the children because they were getting fussy. This had already been a long conversation and the children needed to be entertained while it continued.

The aunts and Gilly looked on and their eyes widen at the causal use of magic. “Wow, that’s so cool. Can I learn to do that? I mean, I know all about magic, but I’ve never seen it do that,” Gilly said looking that the trunks full of miniature stuff.

“My magic is different than yours or the wand wizards. However, you can do anything if you have the correct intent and a powerful enough core. It will take practice, but I feel you can achieve anything you want. Your family has a very strong capacity for magic,” Jim said taking out the toys and enlarging them then giving them to the boys. “To answer your earlier question, yes I will be telling you where the community in this area is and how to enter it. You will have to pass yourselves off as what they call Muggle-born and your aunts as Muggles. A Muggle-born is a person with magic, born from non-magical parents,” he said at their confused looks. “You can then acquire books and learn about the society and teach the children. There is also a bank that has funds set up for the person who will be taking guardianship of the boys. I will create papers that will hide the boys from the wizards. This will give them your last name without adoption. However, I want you to not hide their heritage from them.”

Frances, who was the more cautious one, looked at Death and said “I think we need to know everything you can tell us. If this Lord… whatever, is still out there then there may be a danger to my family. I think we need to know the whole lot about this hidden world.”


	5. Chapter 5: The Further Education of the Owens

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**AN: I would like to thank my beta for this fic, achieving elysium.**

**hppmhppm**

Jim looked at the women in front of him trying to decide what to tell them first. He knew they needed to know everything so they could educate the boys. He checked on the boys and seeing they were playing quietly with the toys he turned back to the witches. After thinking for a minute or two he spoke, “First I need to tell you the prophecy and then I need to warn you of the people who want to use the boys. If you are to do this then you need to know. The prophecy is thus:

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies_ " (J.K. Rowling The Order of the Phoenix)

“When the prophecy was rendered it could have been either boy. I have not the slightest clue what the power the Dark Lord knows not. It could be love, like I stated before, which is why I want you to teach young Harry your magic. I believe the wound on his head to be the marking of the equal making the prophecy about him. He will carry this scar all his life. The rest is self-explanatory. It is my belief that with your help this child will come through alive when the prophecy is fulfilled.”

“Yeah that’s not disturbing at all. So you’re saying we should raise Harry so he has a better chance at _vanquishing_ this Dark Lord?” Gilly said thinking over the prophecy in her head. Sitting suddenly she exclaimed, “Wait a minute, this prophecy doesn’t say Harry will win. If we do this then we’ll take the chance that Harry might die? I mean, how are we supposed to love someone who is destined to die?”

Jet took Gilly’s hand and said, “Honey, that’s all the more reason to love someone. How would it be if that darling little boy was raised without love and died a lonely bitter person? Don’t you think it’d be better to know that the people you leave behind loved and supported you, and knew you did the same? And maybe being loved will give him more of a reason to live. If Death is right then love will be just what he needs to survive.”

Gilly looked at her aunt trying to process the words, she had loved Jimmy once. He was her everything and even though she hadn’t loved he when he died —it still hurt. “I don’t know if I can do that,” She whispered sadly. “I don’t know if I can give up on someone I love, again. It would break my heart.”

“Oh my precious girl,” Jet said gathering Gilly into her arms, “the Owens women know all about broken hearts, but we are so strong that generations of women have survived this curse. Not all, but most of the Owens women grew stronger when the curse hit them. And you, my sweet child, are strong enough to survive. Your heart is so big and caring,” she said wiping the tears from her niece’s face and pulled her closer, “that it’s enough to help anyone be strong. And little Harry will need our strength to see him through. And you won’t give up on him, you will support him to the end,” she concluded, as she rocked Gilly gently.

“Gillian, this is one of the reasons I wish the boys to be here, the strength your family has will give young Harry what he needs to fulfill this prophecy,” Jim said to the upset woman. “If you raise the boys, it will be with the knowledge that you are going to help him be as strong as he can be. You will give him a reason to survive.”

“Okay, yeah, I can see that. Aunt Jet’s right, we’re strong women,” Gilly said as she pulled away from her aunt, wiped her tears and straightened her seat. “Now, tell us more about the people who want to use the boys.”

“The first person I will tell you about is, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry —the wizard school in Scotland. He also serves as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Leader of the Light organization called the Order of the Phoenix. The Wizengamot is much like your congress though the seats are hereditary and not voted in. The ICW is much like your United Nations. Dumbledore is ninety-nine years old and still has many years to live. Wizards live longer than non-magical people, some are said to live to be two hundred years of age.

“Nevertheless,” Jim continued waving off the tangent, “Dumbledore is considered one of the strongest wizards alive in the Wizarding World today. As you can see he has much political power, which is why I want to hide the boys for him. If he were to find young Harry, he would continue the disastrous plans I have foiled. He has little need for young Neville. He wants young Harry to grow up not knowing about magic so that when he is brought into the magic world the child will look at it as being saved from his abusive home. Dumbledore feels that if this is the case then the boy would be so enamored he would be willing to die for the wizarding world.”

“Wow, pretentious much, that’s a lot of power for one man to hold. You know the saying _‘power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely’_. You said he was the leader of an army… group, which is supposed to be the good guys? It doesn’t make sense that he would want to harm a child just so he could have a martyr. As a result, we have to keep Harry hidden from him?” Gilly said hopefully. She has never had to confront such a powerful man, but if they were going to do this then she’d be on the lookout for him. “Ummm, what does he look like?”

“He is a tall thin man, with long grey hair and beard and a crooked nose. He is prone to wear colorful and tacky clothing. He carries about him an aura of power and authority,” Jim explained briefly.

“So like the old fashion St. Nick or what Merlin is supposed to look like,” Gilly nodded. “You said you could magic up some forms that would help us?”

“Yes as I have said before, my magic is different than yours or wizards. I have far more power than mortals, even Dumbledore. Dumbledore is a good man; unfortunately, he only looks at the big picture. He feels a life of misery for one child is worth it if it is for the ‘greater good’. If for some reason he were to find you, worry not for he is a peaceful, if manipulative man. He will not harm you; he will simply take young Harry away,” Jim said trying to ease their worries.

He continued on, “The next cohort of people you will need to watch out for are Voldemort’s followers, they call themselves Death Eaters, which I have to say makes me a little displeased with them. They will want revenge on young Harry for _vanquishing_ their master. This is the group of pure-bloods I mentioned before. I highly doubt you will run into any of them here in America, because this country holds no such bias. Nonetheless, when you venture in to the wizarding world it would be best if you hide young Harry’s scar, just to be safe. If you run into anyone who calls you a _mudblood_ , do not fight them. Simply ignore them and be on your way.”

“Death Eater, huh? Well we’ll watch out for them,” Frances said already pondering ways to disguise Harry if they took him to this hidden community.

“The last group of people you need to watch out for is the British wizarding government. They call young Harry the Boy-Who-Lived because they know he survived the _Killing Curse_ with only a lightning bolt wound. They will do their best to find the child and use him as a status symbol. I would not worry too much they are incompetent, nevertheless, be on the lookout.” Jim said hoping to ease their concern.

“When you go to the Gringotts, the wizard bank, show them these letters,” the dark man waved his hand and created the letters needed, “and they will know not to mention the boys’ names. The bank is run by goblins. You will find many non-human sentient beings in the wizarding world. Some of what you believe are myths, like the unicorn, are very real. Now is not the time to explain that. There are many books there that will do that, thought I recommend that you read many different views and make up your own minds as to which is correct.” He shrugged away the questions he could see they wanted to ask as unimportant.

“The goblins will read this letter and know that it is from me and guard the secret with their lives,” Jim continued, he was running out of time, he needed to return to his duties. “The goblins will then hand you papers that you will use to enroll the boys in school under your last name. These of course will be counterfeit. As we discussed before, you should not adopt the boys. However, you will need these papers to have the boys seem legally in your house. Having the goblins keep this secret will hide the children until they return to Britain —which is another thing you need to know. I cannot see the entire future as I have changed much. However, there is a pivotal point in time when the boys will return to their home country. It will be when they are fourteen; I know not why, I only know it must be. They will then be exposed to all the groups I have just warned you about, which is why I need you to keep them informed of what they will face when the time comes.”

“Hold on a second, if you removed Harry right after his mother died then how to they know about his scar?” Gilly said shaking her head and trying to process all the information Death was giving to them. This would be a huge thing if they decide to take the boys.

“There is a police type force called the Aurors, they are part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They investigated the scene where the tragedy took place. These people can cast a spell to see the last few minutes of the crime. With that they would have seen young Harry live and Voldemort fall. They would have also seen the wound on young Harry’s forehead. Knowing it was caused by the _Killing Curse_ they would have surmised that it would scar,” Jim explained as he put all the needed documents in order. “They would not have seen me. They would have simply seen young Harry disappear into thin air. That is what more than likely, made them think he was more powerful than he is. Hence, the entire hero worship they have going on,” Jim said with disgust seeping in to his usually unemotional voice. “Which, would be another reason as to why I want him here, the fame might do him more harm than good.”

“You make some pretty good arguments and we’d like to help. Do you think we can talk alone for a few minutes?” Aunt Frances said standing up and motioned to the other side of the room.

“Please, take all the time you need. I know this is a large venture to accept. I will abide by whatever you decide. Know though you might be the only hope for this child,” Jim said not above using guilt to get his way.

“Sheesh, yeah, no pressure from you. Asshole,” Gilly said, the last muttered under her breath. The three ladies moved off to the side to talk among themselves. “Do you think we should do this? I mean it could be a lot of trouble, then again having kids in the house again could be fun?” she said looking at the boys still playing quietly in the playpen, “I want to make sure that we’re all on the same page.” She turned back to her aunts, “If I do this, and that is a big if, I’ll need you two by my side. You’re great with kids and Death is right we’d raise them good. Lots of love and stuff,” she whispered with overwhelming emotion.

“Look at the babies, they need someone. Their parents are dead. I know how I felt when the curse took our father, and mother died of a broken heart. Don’t you remember Jet, how much it hurt to lose them? I recall how you felt when you and Sally came to us, Gilly-bean, after losing your parents. Those boys will need lots of love, and chocolate, to help them through the nightmares they’re sure to have,” Frances said looking at the boys who kept glancing silently, around still in a bit of shock with all the changes and new people.

Jet rubbed her sister arm, “I remember and I understand, but we’ll be putting our family in danger. Do we really want to do that?”

“Remember Death said we’ll be going into this ‘Wizarding World’ and we can get books to help us. He also said we could use their magic. Maybe there is some way to put more protection on our home. If we do this we’ll research every way to do that,” Frances argued having pretty much made up her mind.

“Ummm okay, what do you think Sally will say? I wish she were here so we could get her opinion, she is the more level headed one,” Gilly said really wishing Sally were there, as if to answer her wish the phone rang. “That is probably her,” She said running to the phone. “Sally you are never going to believe what’s happening here, we really could use your advice. Sit down this is going to take a while to tell you,” Gilly spoke into the phone not even inquiring who was on the other line, she just knew.

 


	6. Chapter 6: The Decision and a Talk with Sirius

**Chapter 6: The Decision and a Talk with Sirius**

**IMPORTANT: I am not rewriting this per say, more like giving it a face lift. So I am deleting the chapters that have not been beta’d and adding the new ones as I go, so that the old chapters that are not well written don’t throw off the beat. I apologized for doing this to my faithful readers, however, I am going through a very manic phase and now have the need to either start new stories or make my old ones better. I decided to make them better. I can only hope you like the improvements. Thanks for your time and sorry for this once again. Fairywm**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

While Gilly talked on the phone with Sally filling her in on everything that happened in the Owens house this morning. Jet decided she was going to get something for the boys to eat. They were looking tired and she didn’t know when the last time they ate was. “Death, do you have any bottles for the boys?” she asked.

“I believe there are some in here,” Jim said and looked through the trunks. He came up with two glass-looking baby bottles, handed them to Jet and informed her, “These are magical formula bottles. All that is required is to put water up to the line at the top and they would mix and warm by themselves. The formula powder is never ending. When the child was done drinking the bottle will sterilize and dry itself and more powder would appear at the bottom of the bottle for the next time. The bottles will stop being of any use when the child using them is over two years of age. Do not concern yourself over the glass, they are unbreakable and glass holds heat better,” he added at her ginger retrievement of the bottles.

“Well that will save money. According to Sally formula cost a lot of money these days,” she said thoughtfully, taking the bottles in to the kitchen and filling them as instructed. She watched as the bottles mixed themselves and warmed in her hand. _‘That is simply marvelous._ _I wonder what else we’ll find in that community.’_

She cut up some banana’s and made sandwiches for the adults. As she was carrying everything through to the living room, she saw Gilly was still talking with Sally, so as she passed she offered the plate to her. After Gilly took a sandwich, Jet continued into the living room and passed the plate to Frances. Who placed it in the middle of the table, that separated the couches and chairs, incase Death wanted one. They had no idea if entities ate food, so they were just being hospitable.

Jet gave the boys bits of bananas and watched them mush them in their little fist. After they made a mess, she was about to go and get a washcloth to clean them, when Death waved his hand, and the boys were clean. She checked their diapers and found them clean. She then provided each child a bottle and laid them down. Maybe they will sleep while the grownups finished talking; after all it was well past their bedtime.

After everyone ate their fill and Gilly was finally off the phone, the women huddled together at the side of the room. “What did Sally say?” asked Frances, curiosity was eating her. She was really excited about all that was happening. Frances had already made up her mind but this was family so it was a family decision. “I know what you want, but I think we should get everyone’s input. This is going to affects us all. So majority rules,” she said brightly, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

This could be the good luck they had done the spell for, though Gilly didn’t know about one. The spell is supposed to help Gilly get over the whole Jimmy deal. Frances didn’t believe that the spell cast had anything to do with the boys’ parents’ deaths. The clause in the spell would not allow such a thing. They weren’t taking any chances after what happened with Sally and Michael. All of their spells for family now ended with the clause ‘the spell it cast; the spell is done; so mote it be; and harm it none’. No, it just brought the idea to Death to bring the boys here. The spell was a simple one, called upon magic to bring them a bit of luck. They had no way of knowing that it would be in the form of children. This was one of the reasons Jet was always so leery, she was a big believer in ‘be careful what you wish for’.

“Sally said we’d be heartless if we turned the kids out,” Gilly said sheepishly, for even letting that idea cross her mind. “She said that she agrees with Death, that we need to let them grow with love. She agreed to come and visit and bring the girls as often as she could. She can’t wait to meet the boys. She said the girls want to be their new cousins in their lives. So Sally is on the keeping them wagon. Where do you two stand?” she concluded. She was more decisive now that talked to her much more rational sister.

Frances looked at Jet as she was the one who had doubts. Jet looked between the other two women, sighed, and said, “You two have already made up your minds. So I’m in. You do know that until the boys are older there will be no more Midnight Margarita’s, right?” she teased the two women to lighten the mood. No one in this house like it when the mood was depressing, they were a happy family.

Frances smiled and nodded. “I can live with that. Oh this will be so much fun. Just think we’ll have children around the house again. And think of all the things we can teach them. We’ve never had boys before. Oh, I’d better look up how to potty train boys,” she said on a tangent with sparkles in her eyes, overjoyed to be doing something new and stimulating.

“Well I’m in too. So we better go and talk to Death and get all the paperwork done. Thanks for being there for me, I love you guys,” Gilly said giving her aunts a big hug, feeling better than she had in a very long time.

“We will always be there for you Gilly-bean,” Frances reply returning the hug. The women broke apart and went to talk to Death.

They settled on the couch across from Death who was waiting patiently; Gilly spoke for them, “We’ve decided that we’re in. Where is the paperwork to we need to fill out?” Death reached into his robe and handed her the documents that Augusta and Sirius had already filled out. “Aunties look at this paper, it’s so thick. What kind of paper is this anyway? It looks expensive. Are we going to have to buy this kind for the boys? Not sure if we can afford that,” she rambled as she looked thoughtfully at the weird paper. While they weren’t poor they weren’t exactly rich either. Though, they still had some saving from past relatives in the bank.

The little work they did for the town didn’t really bring in much money. They never really needed much, the gardens brought in a lot of their food, and the house has been paid for, for decades. The clothes they wore were handmade or second hand. They had only to think about repairs to the clothes and they were done. The many cats were easy enough to feed, when hunting was bad. So while they weren’t exactly frugal they weren’t spendthrifts either.

“That kind of paper is called parchment. It used to be made of skin, now it is simply thick paper, making it easier to charm. You will find that most of the wizarding world, that follows the ICW, is stuck in the late sixteenth century and uses parchment and quills. I am unsure if the school here requires it. Nevertheless, even if they do, there is a trust fund for both the boys, which will cover their living and school expenses. If you will sign in the blank spots, I will make sure that the papers are filed discretely,” Death said as he indicated the areas where Gillian had to sign.

After all the documents were signed Jim took the them and cast the spell so only the people who _needed_ to know—not _wanted_ to know— where the boys were, could read them. This would hopefully hide the boys from prying eyes. He glanced through them one last time and then folded them neatly and put them in his pocket.

Gilly sighed and fired away questions on all the things she felt they needed answers to, “Okay, what do we do now? When can you show us where we can get the books that we’ll need to teach the kids about their world? Do you have everything they need in those trunks? Also, we need to know where the bank is and how much it in the trust funds. I want to make sure they understand this hidden world as quickly as possible. You said, we needed to teach them about their families and responsibilities, where do we find that information? What about their families? Are they going to come and look for them? Do we have to watch out for that? I also wanna learn the difference between our magic.” Since they were going to do this they needed all the information they could get their hands on.

“I will return tomorrow to take you where you need to go. I will be here in the morning after you have broken your fast. Everything you need for your home is in these trunks. To unshrink the items simply put your finger on it, give a small push of your magic, then you need to incant _Engorgio_ and that will return them to their proper size,” Jim explained and gave a demonstration on one of the trunks. “There should be everything you require for the boys in there. The incantation to shrink things is _Reducio,_ this should help if you need to store your own furniture to make room for what is in these trunks. You may need to practice. However, I am sure you can perform this bit of magic. Just push your magic through your hand like you normally would and say the words. After enough practice you may be able to do the spells without voicing the incantation, and then you can do this in much the same manner you do your own magic —simply think about what you want.”

After Jim explained the magic he turned to leave, he had done everything he needed to do here. It was all up to the witches now. He paused on his way out to answer the remaining questions. “There are books on family lineage in the bookstores at the Alley, however you may need to order the ones you need from England. They will also inform you about the magical British government and the boys place in it. There may be some books in these trunks, families like to keep those in their houses to teach the young heirs about their place in the world,” he said then continued his way. “I will answer the rest of your questions when I return on the morrow.

“Well that’s helpful, thanks for that,” Gilly said looking at the trunks fascinated that all the stuff they needed was in such a tiny place. It all looked like doll furniture. She couldn’t wait to see what else wizards could do. And see if it was something her family could incorporate into their lives.

As the Owens women were looking in the trunks and trying to figure out where they were going to put everything, Jim vanished once again into the shadows. He made a quick trip to the solicitor who had handed his card for Harry, and had him sign the papers in a legal capacity. The man tried to get Death to tell him where the boys were but to no avail. After all the papers were now legal, Death blended into the shadows once again. He appeared in London at the Department of Child Welfare in the Ministry. It was now in the late evening here; he had spent many hours with the witches. Departments such as this one stayed open until midnight, in case the Wizengamot had a late session, or the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a file, or had something to file. So there was always at least one clerk in all government file rooms, until midnight.

The office was much the same as any clerk’s office: desk, chair, cubby-holes and a back room for paperwork. The man behind the desk was reading what looked to be official documents, perhaps something that needed to be filed. It didn’t matter to Jim that he might disturb the young man, time was of the essence. He was only two steps ahead of Dumbledore and if he got this done now, the game would be won —for a few years anyway.

Jim removed his hood and got the attention of the clerk behind the desk. “I require these forms be filed right away. _No one_ is to know about them as they are all properly filled out and do not require any extra attention. If you breathe a word of this —I will know _and_ I will pay you another visit, only it will not be as _pleasant_ as this one,” he said in a menacing voice. Jim knew he couldn’t take anyone before their time without a very good reason, like what happened to Neville’s parents. However, most people didn’t know that and he would use that to his advantage. And even though he had cast the spell on the documents, he wanted to make sure he left no loopholes. Dumbledore was not a stupid man and he would come here after exhausting every other avenue.

The clerk looked up, saw who spoke in such a threatening way and fainted. Jim sighed; maybe he should have waited until after the paperwork was filed to make his threat. He woke the clerk to try again. The clerk looked upon Death’s skeletal face with it’s eyeless sockets, and almost fainted again until Jim slapped him on the face and said, “Pay attention. I do not have time for your hysterics. I need you to file this paperwork and I need it done now. Then I want you to take a vow that you will never tell anyone, no matter who they are, that I was here or what I required from you.”

The shaking clerk looked at the paperwork and startled. “But these are guardianship papers for the Boy-Who-Lived and Neville Longbottom,” he said scared to death (pun intended) that he would anger the deity in front of him. “Dumbledore is trying to put the boys with their last living relatives. He doesn’t have the paperwork though, for some reason Madam Longbottom won’t sign off on it. However, he says it was imperative that they go where he wants. For the greater good, ya know. He has been down here many times to see if any papers have been filed. The entire community is looking for them. I’m not sure I can file these.” And with a shaky hand he laid the papers on the desk and waited for Death judgment.

“Yes,” Jim drawled, as he placed one bone like finger on the pile and pushed it back to the clerk, “and you will notice that they are properly signed by the correct people. It is not up to you or Dumbledore to decide who their guardians approve of,” he harshly informed the still shaking man. “Your job is to file legally signed paperwork, without question. The only reason I require your vow is so someone like Dumbledore, cannot pull it from you mind. If it would make you feel better, I can wipe the memory entirely.”

“I think… I think that would be a better option,” the man nodded quickly, glad to find a solution that didn’t render him dead or his magic gone. “I don’t want to have my magic in jeopardy because someone won’t take ‘I don’t know’ for an answer,” he said as he stamped the Ministry approval seal on the documents. The documents then flare with a bright white light, indicating they were legal, and disappeared to the files they belong to. He then bravely turned to Death and waited for his memory to be wiped. It was better this way. If the people higher-up knew what had taken place here, they would rummage through his mind and could leave him a vegetable. He didn’t want that.

Jim waved his long hand in the direction of the clerk, and wiped the last ten minutes from the man’s mind and made him think he had just taken a quick nap. He sat the man in a chair and made him sleep to reinforce this notion.

Jim faded his way to the Longbottom manor. “Madam Longbottom, I have come to inquire if you have set up a Post Office box for the muggle mail?” he said after the older lady acknowledged him.

“Yes, I set it up right after you left. I did not know when you would be back and I wanted to make sure you had the address for my grandchild,” Augusta said, handing him a slip of parchment with the address written on it.

Jim took the address and put it in his robe. “I will make sure the boys new guardian get this and that they send you pictures and progress reports on Neville,” he stated and he vanished again, rather rudely but he needed to get back to work, and appeared in Sirius’ cell in Azkaban. “I had forgotten to get the address to your Post Office box when I was here last. I have found a safe place for your godson. I also wanted to tell you that I have a task for you when you are removed from here,” he said as he handed Sirius a quill and parchment to write the address down.

“Ahhh!!! Make some noise would ya? Knock on the wall or something,” Sirius yelled as he once again fell to the floor. He looked bad for someone one who had only been here for a week, his clothes were filthy, not to mention the rest of him. He looked like he had lost a stone or two. However, he still seemed to have his mind, a minor miracle for this place. He got up, snatched the quill and parchment and wrote the address down. “So, Harry’s safe? That’s a relief. Tell them not to write until they know I’m out of here. Oh wait, how would they know? Ummm, have them wait a year before they write then,” he said handing the writing tools and parchment back to Jim. “You say a task for me? What is it? If you tell me now, I can think on it while I’m here and maybe work up a plan for when I get out. It would also keep the Dementors out of my brain, or can you do something about them?” he questioned hopefully, those soul suckers had already taken many of his happiest memories.

“I will tell them. As for your task, Voldemort made horcruxes,” and at the confused look he reiterated, “soul anchors. I cannot see them because the spell cast to create these abominations hides them from my eyes. I only know that they are in England and that there are five at the moment. Do not think that he may not make more, this man is very afraid of me and will go to any lengths prevent us meeting.

“I need you to find them and destroy them,” Jim continued placing the paper in his robe, “ _Fiendfyre_ will work or corrosive venom, like from a Basilisk. I would recommend asking the goblins to check their vaults. And somehow find a way to check Hogwarts. Riddle would hide them right under people’s noses just out of spite. Tell the goblins what I told you, if you must. If you find these before Harry returns when he is fourteen then you will go a long way to helping him,” he said as he stood to leave. He concentrated on the air around him, placing his signature over the cell, which would keep the Dementors at bay. “The Dementors have been dealt with. However, you will still feel their effects, since they are still in the area. Just to a lesser degree,” Death informed the man.

Sirius sighed with relief; he could already feel the dread lessen. He looked to Death thankfully and said, “Thanks for that. So, no pressure in getting rid of those soul anchors, then. Goblins are right nasty buggers,” Sirius said crinkling his nose, he had had many nasty run-ins with goblins, “but I suppose I would have to talk to them anyway. I have a few contacts I used in the war. That and some of my family were Death Eaters, I might be able to talk to them —but I doubt it. Should I talk to Dumbledore? I’m still mad at him. But, if it’s for Harry, I can put it aside,” the prisoner questioned, already thinking on who to ask and where to look. Mad-eye Moody might help, but he would go to Dumbledore. Remus might be able to get a spy in with the werewolves that had been on Voldemort’s side in the war. Maybe he could sneak into Hogwarts and find the Marauder’s Map, with it he would have an easier time sneaking around the castle since it showed were everyone was at all times. He and the gang were genius to think that one up, while still in school. Too bad that traitor Wormtail lost it in their senior year.

“I would prefer that Dumbledore not be contacted. If you voice that you are still angry with him for thinking you guilty. Then, when you go and find the boys he will try and follow you, be very careful,” Jim waved off the protest he could see Sirius was about to make.” I know you will look for young Harry; it is in your nature. I leave how you find the horcruxes up to you,” Jim said starting towards the darkest corner of the room. “I must go now. I have been far too long in evading my duty. I will see you again, Sirius Black,” And with that Jim faded away, going back to the land of the dead.

He would visit the witches tomorrow to give them the addresses and show them SunSpot Alley and how to get there themselves. He would then leave them alone for a time to make sure all his plans were in motion, then he would visit for what may be the last time. Oh, he would watch the boys and interfere if he had to, but if nothing was required of him he would give the witches’ free reign.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: I believe we will only see Death a few more times. I hope you liked him.**


	7. Chapter 7: SunSpot Alley and Dealing with Banks

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**AN: I’m flying solo on this one so no beta.**

HPPMHP

**_November 5, 1981_ **

Jim arrived the next morning around ten to take the witches and the boys to SunSpot Alley. He had waited until he thought they would be done with breakfast and clothed for the day. He made his way up the walkway looking at the dying vegetable beds. He so liked the gardens this time of year. Upon climbing up the stairs to the front of the house, he knocked on the door.

Gilly opened the door, dressed in jeans and a tight knit green sweater, which left little to the imagination, with Harry on her hip. “Come on in, we’re almost ready to go. I just have to put shoes on and get a bag put together for the kids,” She stepped aside to let him in. “Aunt Jet, can you come and get Harry so I can get a bag together?” she yelled to the kitchen, making Harry squirm a little, he was not use to loud voices. The Owens woman decided to get them use to happy yells, so they wouldn’t always be frightened of loud noises. She bounced the child on her hip and gave him a big hug and smile.

“I’ve got Neville, ask Frances,” Jet yelled back.

“I heard,” came Frances’ voice from upstairs. “You keep Harry and I’ll get the bag ready, since I’m already up here.”

“Okay, I just wanted to let you know Death is here and waiting. Grab my boots and some socks, please,” Gilly shouted back she turned to Jim and in a more quiet voice said, “Come sit in here, we should be done in a minute. I need to check this little guys diaper before we go,” She said showing him to the living room.

If Jim had been a being easily amused he would have found the conversation very funny. However he was not so he just sat and waited for everyone to join him. It took another half an hour for the witches to be ready. The aunts came into the room dressed in heavy dresses and button up form fitting coats. Hats and umbrellas at the ready.

“So where are we going? And how are we going to get there?” Gilly said putting a coat and knit cap she found in one of the trunks on a fidgeting Harry, while Jet put the same on Neville. She looked at Death and noted he was still garbed in the long fluid-like black robes, which hid all but his boney hands. “You’re gonna scare the hell out of anyone who sees you. It’s not every day Death walks among the living,” she informed him with a quirk of her eyebrow. After yesterday this person didn’t scare her as much as he use to.

“I can make it so I will not be seen,” he said waving way her concern, with the so mentioned boney hands. “As for how we will get there, you are going to ride the train to Salem, where I will meet you and show you the way to SunSpot Alley. I will then meet you inside the Alley, and take you to the bank, so you may get some wizard money from the trust funds set up for the boys. We will be traveling this way so that you need no help when your return. Do you have the letter I gave you yesterday? And please, you may now call me Jim,” Death said patiently.

“Jim huh, never woulda figured. Yeah, I have the letter in the diaper bag, I put it there last night so we wouldn’t forget it. So we gotta go all the way to Salem. I guess that’s cool,” Gilly said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I don’t think we’ll be going very often, until the boys get older, that’s quite a trip with two toddlers. Do we have some money to change over?” she turned and asked her aunts as she looked through the diaper bag to make sure they had enough baby stuff for an all-day adventure. “We don’t want to use all the boys’ money.”

“Yes, dear, I have some money. We should be okay,” Jet said as she picked up Neville and starting for the door. Frances grabbed the diaper bag from Gilly and followed Jet.

It was a gloomy day, with the clouds hanging in the air, threatening to rain at any minute. The leaves on the trees, lining the roads, were all turning many fascination colors, making the streets look blanketed in a natural colored rainbow of browns and oranges. The Owens women loved this time of year. The air was crisp and cold and the trees were hanging on to life with colorful fingers. They walked through the town acknowledging anyone who paid the slightest bit of attention to them. Jim glided unseen by their side.

Jim had faded away when the women finally got to the train station around 11 am. It was about a two hour train ride with stops in every town, making the time they got to Salem around 1 pm. They got off the train and saw Jim waiting by the shadows and followed him to Beckford Street, in the historical district. The rain that threatened earlier came pouring down. It was a good thing the witches liked the rain and the boys had raincoats put on over their winter coats, on the train. They came upon a bookstore named _All things Wicca_ , it was a little run down and fit in with the rest of the old buildings that lined the street. Most people scurrying down the sidewalks paid no attention to it.

“There is a mild _Muggle Repelling Charm_ on front of the building. It will attract any non-magical people who want to learn about the witch hunts and modern day Wicca and repel anyone else. There is a room in the back that will lead you to SunSpot Alley. The door leading to that room has a stronger charm that only magicals can see. The shop keeper, of course, knows about this room and keeps an eye out for anyone who gets lost or confused. When you enter the store ask them to show you how to enter the Alley. They will then think you are Muggle-born and assist you. Before I leave today, I will provide you with fake wands with just enough magic that you made enter Alley unaided. I strongly recommend you not get wands of your own. Though you can use them, they will only hinder your magic. These fake wands are for show so the people here will think you are wand witches. Do not forget them when you return here. I will meet you in the Alley,” Jim said pointing to the store and with a nod of his hidden head, he vanished.

“Ya know, I’m beginning to hate when he does that,” Gilly said, adjusting Harry on her hip and making sure his scar was hidden.

“I know what you mean; it’s kind of spooky when he just fades like that. Oh well, let’s get this over with,” Jet said holding on to Neville and making sure he was dry and warm. “We should see if there are wizard type strollers so we don’t have to carry these guys around all day. I’m not as young as I use to be.”

“I hear ya. These little guys aren’t light,” Gilly said, as she tickled Harry under the chin, causing the child to giggle.

“Oh. this is going to be so much fun. Think of everything we can learn,” Frances said bouncing in place making the diaper bag rebound on her hip. The happy glow on her face and the gleam in her eyes noted that she really was as excited as she was portraying.

They went into the store, which was set up like any other book store, but for the shelves of crystal and candles that lined the walls. Shelves of books were arranged throughout the middle of the store with the occasional display to show any new book. Frances went to the front counter and got the attention of the young lady there. “Hi, we’re new around here and were told you could show us the way to the Alley,” she said with a huge smile on her lips. Gilly and Jet were relieving the boys of their rain jackets and coats and putting umbrellas and hats into the diaper bags, after shaking off the water out the door.

“Oh yeah, I can do that, let me put the bell up in case someone comes in,” the girl said putting a bell on the counter and locking the cash register. She motioned to the back where they could see a beaded curtain. “Follow me, it’s right through here,” she said so they followed her to the back. The room had a rather large fireplace on the right wall, a large X on the floor on the opposite side and a wall with an arch that looked to be decoration on the back. “Okay, all you have to do is tap the brink right in the middle of the arch with your wand three times and a portal will open. It’s the one that’s all chipped and stuff. The Floo address is All Things Wicca, that spot over there is for _Apparition_ , there’s a lot of traffic in the morning and evenings so you might have a wait.”

“Ummm, we don’t have wands. We… ahh… lost them in a fire, burned the whole house down. We barely made it out with our lives. So we’re going to replace them in the Alley,” Gilly fabricated with an exaggerated waving of her free hand, to indicate the huge made-up fire and loss.

“That’s okay I’ll get for you. Sorry about the fire and all, that’s gotta suck,” the girl sympathized and pulled out her wand from her sleeve and tapped the brink three times. “Welcome to SunSpot Alley,” she said waving them to the portal that opened in the wall.

The Owens women looked through the portal and were very impressed. They looked around in awe, mouths open, eyes wide, and speechless. It looked like a giant mall. They had never seen such a bright and colorful shopping area. The ceiling seemed to be pouring in dimmed sunlight, yet it didn’t look glass. There was no rain of course as, it was enclosed. They glanced in the nearest stores and saw that the windows seem to be lit the same ways, making the whole alley bright and shiny with very little shadow. Not too bright as the sunlight was that of an overcast day were the sun was barely there, but light enough that you could hardly tell that the clouds were trying to cover it. The temperature in the mall would indicate such as day as well, almost room temperature, maybe a little warmer for these chilly days. It made Jet wonder if the place cooled down in the summer.

There were book shops, apothecary’s, robe shops with an attached Muggle clothing stores, stores that were selling all sorts of trinkets and many others. People in bright colored robes or plain Muggle wear were happily shopping. “Thanks. You’ve been a big help,” Jet said to the girl as she ushered everyone through when she spotted Jim waiting for them just inside.

“Hey, Jim, if this is a mall, why call it an alley?” Frances asked as she continued to look around. The mall was two stories high and now that they were inside they could see it wasn’t as big as they thought. The stores were just very large and spaced out. There were only about twenty shops on each floor and what looked to be a bank at the far end of the mall that took up both floors.

“This use to be an alley until about two years ago, a Muggle-born wizard, named Howard E. Leavitt, talked the shop owners into modernizing. The Alley was closed for a week and when they opened again it was this mall. They decided to keep the name,” Death explained as he led them down the mall to the bank. He had learned this from souls how passed through his realm. They had been excited and wanted to chatter to Death as he led them to their final journey. “If you wish to know more there are books that will explain,” Jim said as reached into his robe and pulled out two pieces of parchment. “Here are the addresses of Neville’s grandmother and Harry’s godfather. You may write to the grandmother, however do not put your address on the envelopes and do not use your names. If you include pictures make sure they cannot give away where you live. You cannot write to the godfather as he has been framed for murder and is sitting in prison right now. This particular prison does not have mail-call, so he asked that you wait a year, in which time he will hopefully be out.

“Here are the keys to the trust vaults, hand the letter to the goblins and they will walk you through the rest,” Jim continued, then he waved his right hand across his left and three sticks appeared. “These are your fake wands, they will only get you in the Alley. I must go now, expect a visit from me at least one more time. I will be watching,” Jim said ominously and after supplying everything to Frances he waved his hand in front him and without a noise he was gone.

The witches looked at where he had been standing then at the stuff in Frances’ hand.

“Well, it looks like we’re on our own,” Frances said looking around. “Let’s get started. The bank first I think.”

They started up the marble stairs leading to the bank, after tucking their fake wands into their purses. There were creatures on either side of the doors holding spears and dressed in what looked like armor. _‘These must be goblins; I don’t think I want to mess with them.’_ Frances thought leading the two tot carriers past the doors.

The bank looked like any other bank, buffed wooden floors, nice soft colored walls, tellers lined the counters on the right side of the lobby, cubicles on the left. It was also complete with long lines. They stood in the nearest line and waited with everyone else, idly chatting about what they had seen in the mall. When they came to the teller, Frances handed the letter and the keys to him.

The goblin read the letter first and his eyes widened in fright, causing the witches to worry. He looked first to the boys and then to the witches. He handed the keys back to Frances and said curtly, “Follow me.” He put a window closed sign on the counter and stepped down. The witches followed him into the back of the bank, through a door simply said ‘Services’. He led them to an office, which was furnished with one large plain desk, bookcases filled with books and scrolls, a few chairs were in front of the desk for customers. An older goblin was seated behind the desk, busily writing away on some papers. “These witches have a letter you need to see, Goldworthy,” the teller said, as he handed the letter to the older goblin and hurried away without another word.

Goldworthy looked up from his paperwork and took the letter and read it. His beady black eyes also widened and he bade the witches to sit down in the chairs in front of his desk. “This letter states that you are in need of muggle paperwork that will make you the guardians of Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom in the Muggle World. As you know these papers will be forged. However, we do very good work, so you needn’t worry about being caught. We will even have them filed in the local government, free of charge. We have wizards that work for us in that world and they will enter the necessary forms into the system. The letter also tells me you have the keys to their trust vault and you need to be set up with a monthly allowance. May I have the keys, please?” he said, being far more courteous than he would otherwise, for fear of making Death angry at him.

After the witches were seated, Frances handed him the keys and they waited for what was next.

Goldworthy took the keys and examined them. “These keys are for vaults in Gringotts London. Fortunately, the paperwork to transfer the vaults to all locations has already been sent to all of Gringotts banks, in anticipation that they would be needed. It will take a week to transfer the needed fund. However, we will loan you the money for your shopping today and remove it from the vaults when they are set up here. Only the trust vaults will be here, the remaining vaults will stay in London and will be frozen until the boys reach legal age and claim them. I will make sure statements are sent to you monthly. Here is what is currently in the trust vaults,” he said after putting the keys on a parchment each. The parchments filled with numbers showing only one transaction. Harry’s vault showed he had 2,300 Galleons while Neville’s had 2,000.

“The current exchange rate is one Galleon equals $4.30. Indicating that Mr. Potters vault has approximately $10,000, which refills to that amount every year. Mr. Longbottom’s vault has $8,600 and again his will refill at the end of the year. Both accounts are set up so you will receive $220 a month for each boy. If the cost of living rises we will adjust accordingly. I will need your address so we may send you a check every month via Muggle mail. If you require funds outside of that amount you must send a letter to the bank and explain why. Today you will receive an amount equal to $1,000 for each child so that you may get what you need for them,” the goblin explained showing Frances, as she was the only child free witch, the parchments with the balance.

The other two witches leaned forward, holding on to their wards, to see the parchment. This was all so new to them and the magic was fascinating.

Goldworthy then placed two stacks of 232 Galleons and two cloth bags on the desk, “When the boys are of school age you will receive a check for the same of $1000, about one month before school starts. You will find that wizard wares are much cheaper than those obtained outside the magical world, because there are far fewer wizards then there are Muggles, so the market is not that big. You may want to come to the Alley or mail-order at that time. To mail order you will need to obtain an owl, which is what wizards use for their post.”

The witches sat at the edge of their seats and listened carefully to the manager. They needed to make sure they understood everything. The boys, being babies, were fussing a little, so Frances handed them juice bottles to help tided the over until the adults were done.

The goblin pointed a long pale finger to the gold coins. “These are Galleons,” he said and then pulled out some silver and copper coins from his pockets. “The silver are Sickles and the copper are Knuts. One Galleon equals 17 Sickle or 493 Knuts,” he informed them and put the coins back in his pocket. “The bags in front of you are expanded, feather light bags. They are designed to hold a lot of money yet not weigh more than a feather.”

Jet hand Neville to Frances and looked at the gold coins, then hefted one of them in her hand. She then placed it in one of the bags and weighed it again. She then placed the separate stacks of coins into one bag each and noticed they weight the same as they had when they were empty. “That is a pretty neat trick,” she said as she put the pouches in her purse. “Here let me give you the address. We’re gonna need the paperwork for the kids. Will it be on paper or parchment? I don’t think that our government uses parchment.”

The goblin growled at her and leaned forward in a threatening manner. “Do you think us stupid?” he snapped. “We know how your government works. I already explained to you that we have people that work in your government.”

“No, of course I don’t think you’re stupid,” Jet snapped back as Gilly and Frances tensed and held the now struggling boys tight, ready to protect them if this progressed into a fight. “I have no idea how anything works in your world we were told you were hidden and that the ‘muggles’ didn’t know about you. How are we supposed to know it you know about them? For all I know these people you have working for you don’t know everything that is need.”

The goblin backed down remembering who sent them. “I apologize; we are used to being looked down on by wizard kind. Yes, the paperwork will be on Government Issue paper. When it is done it will be filed, like I said, and the copies will be sent to your house via Muggle mail. You should receive it in three days.”

“Okay then, sorry I snapped, we too are used to being looked down on. I’m going to need a pen and paper to give you the address,” Jet stated calmly, also settling back in her chair. The other two lessened their hold on the boys. “Wait, I have a pen in my purse. May I have some paper?” she said looking through her purse and pulled out a pen.

Goldworthy handed her some parchment and she wrote the address down and handed it back. “That takes care of everything that was in the letter. Was there anything else I could do for you today?” he said.

“Yeah,” Gilly said bringing the goblins attention to her, “I’d like a list of services your bank offers. Maybe you can help us in investing some of the trust for the boys. So they have some extra money when they get out of school.”

Goldworthy looked through the drawers in his desk and pulled out a vault starter kit and handed it to Jet. “This portfolio has everything the bank offers. If more services become available in the future, a notice will be sent to you.”

Jet took the packet with a thanks and the witches rose to leave. She paused at the door, “Where would we go to exchange our money to Galleons?”

“When you are in the lobby the teller on the far end is the exchange window,” Goldworthy said as he cleared of his desk and pulled out more papers and continued where he was before the witches interrupted him.

“Thank you. Have a nice day,” Jet said quickly leading the other two to the lobby.

“Whew, these goblins are easily insulted. We better be careful, they look like they can really fight,” Gilly said quietly as she settled the now calm Harry more firmly on her hip.

“Yeah, I’m glad we don’t have to deal with them often. Let’s get in line and change our money. Then we can go shopping. That’ll be fun,” Frances said her bounce back now that they were done dealing with bank issues. They waited in line for the exchange window and after they exchanged some of their money and then went into the Alley.

“So, where first?” Gilly said looking around at all the shops.

 

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: according to canon one Galleon was equivalent to five** [ **Muggle** ](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Muggle) **pounds or $7.34 and One Galleon is equal to 17** [ **Sickles** ](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Sickle) **or 493** [ **Knuts** ](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Knut) **in 1991 (a direct quote from the Harry Potter wiki)** **. It has been pointed out to me that the gold trade is much higher than this, so I’m going to say Galleons are either not solid gold or spelled that they can’t be traded in the Muggle world.**

**Anyway if my math is correct then a Sickle is worth $.43 and a Knut is worth practically nothing, which means that stuff in the wizarding world is _very_ cheap. New books would be worth a Galleon and clothes would be worth almost 2 Galleons, trunks might be 14 Galleons because that would equal about $103 and that is pretty good for a trunk and potion stirring sticks would be worth 1 Sickle 40 Knuts etc…etc...etc. **

**Because monetary system was lower in 1981 than 1991, I’m going to go with a gallon was worth 3 pounds and $4.30 and try to adjust accordingly. My math sucks and my concept of money even more so, so if anyone wants to correct that let me know.**

**Also there are no trains from New Salem to Salem but there will be for my story and it will be just a little longer then if there were because the train will stop in every town on the way.**

**Sorry for the long AN, just wanted people to know why I’m doing it the way I am.**

 


	8. Chapter 8: Mandatory Shopping Trip and Unexpected Visitor

**Chapter 8: Mandatory Shopping Trip and Unexpected Visitor**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**AN: flying solo on this one too, thanks for your patience and reviews. I would also like to thank everyone who helped me improve my writing skills, especially my daughter, who only made fun of me a little. But hey, it’s been over thirty years since I was in school. I forget stuff.**

**hppmhppm**

The Owens women looked around the mall. Gilly pointed to a store about four shops away from the bank. “I think we need to go there first. Maybe they have strollers or something for the kids,” The shop displayed the name ‘All You Need Baby Supplies’ in pastel yellow colored lettering.

They had looked through the trunks the night before but had only managed to get one crib set up and a few baby supplies like diapers, bottles and some clothes. They did an inventory on all the shrunken items so they had a pretty good idea what else was needed. That and they were hoping to find books that explained all the things they didn’t understand.

The witches made their way into the shop. As they entered the store Jet went to the counter while the others grabbed what looked like hand baskets and went to see what the store offered. The store had displays of baby items; child care books, infant and toddler clothes (both wizard and Muggle), and necessary feeding implements, toys and furniture. It was softly colored in blues and pinks and the displays were all arranged for easy looking and handling. The register was in the back of the store manned by a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties, she was dressed in a nice baby blue uniform type robe, with the stores logo of a sleeping baby sucking it’s thumb, on the upper right chest area.

“Hello,” Jet said getting the young woman’s attention, “we’re new here and we were wondering if there are strollers or carriers for our new charges,” She said pointing at the boys.

“Oh, are you Muggles? Well I can set you up with what you need,” The young woman said coming from behind the counter and making her way to the left wall. “We don’t have strollers, but we do have these feather light carriers. They will stay the same weight no matter how big your little guys get,” she chirped in a bubbly fashion, and pointed to the display of carriers, that positioned on ones back. “They’re 2 -G- and 4 -S- each.”

“Okay we will take two. Do you mind holding them at the front while we look around?” Jet asked as she pulled one blue (with a green dragon) and one green (with a blue dragon) off the display and handing them to the cashier.

“Yeah, I can do that. Let me know if you need any more help,” She said brightly and took the carriers and went back to the cashier counter.

Jet joined Frances, who had Neville, and looked at the books. The titles were things such as, ‘What Your Little Wizard Needs’, ‘The Terrible Twos and What to Expect’, ‘How to Control Accidental Magic’, and ‘Basic Nutrition for Your Toddler’ and others along that line. The aunts grabbed one of every book displayed, except for ones for pregnant mothers and newborns. They knew how to raise children that had magic, but they needed to know if there was anything different with the boys. The books cost a little above a Galleon a piece. There were fifteen in total and they would split the cost of the books, between theirs and the boys’ money.

Gilly, who still had Harry, was looking at the necessities; diapers, bottles, bibs and things. She knew she could get such items in her own world, but the magic that was on these made them fascinating. They already had the bottles and bibs, but they didn’t have sippy-cups and they would run out of diapers soon so they needed to stock up. There were also self-cleaning plates and utensils for toddlers that might come in handy. However, she was worried that all this magic would make the boys and them lazy. She would have to talk to the aunts about making sure that the boys had chores when they were older and that they played outside as much as possible.

So she decided that they would only get the self-filling sippy-cups, which automatically filled with milk or pumpkin juice, of all things. The cups would last until the boys were three years old. The booklet said by that time the boys should be drinking out of glasses and the liquid would run out —the magic on the cups would know when the boys were that age. The cups would then become regular cups and can be either thrown out or given to Muggles. They had to be stored in a chill box —Gilly figured this was a refrigerator— and when taken out of the ‘box’ the cup would fill and then when empty it had be washed and then returned to the ‘box’ to refill again. She grabbed two that filled with pumpkin juice and four that filled with milk. The cups were only 2 -S- and 5 -K-.

She also grabbed a few packets of diapers that changed color when they were dirty. She then went towards her aunts. “Well I got some sippy-cups and some diapers. I think we need to talk about everything else before we buy them. I’m not sure how much we want magic to do, when we can do it ourselves, though the refilling will be cheaper than having to go to the store every week. But we should get some regular sippy-cups and other juices, so they have a variety,” she said indicating her basket.

“We grabbed some books that should help. Is that everything we need here?” Jet said looking around. They didn’t see anything else, so they went to the front to pay for their purchases. The total came to around 10 -G-. After they paid, they left the store venturing back into the Alley.

They looked around and tried to decide where to go to next. All the stores had large, clear lettering on the windows to show what each store contained. The names were very easy to read due to the muted sunlight spell that seemed to be on every shop window. “I think we need to go there next,” Frances said pointing to a store that advertised luggage. “If we’re going to be shopping all day maybe they have a bag that will help carry everything. I don’t want to shove everything in the diaper bag. Let’s keep it separate. First let’s get these little guys in the carriers,” she said as she went through the shopping bags and pulled out the carriers. She then helped the other women to put them on their backs and put the children in them. Harry and Neville went without a fuss, looking around at all the soft glowing windows and displays. Frances handed them a teething biscuit each, to hold off on any hunger. They had fed them before they left and some more on the train and Frances figured they would keep giving them little snacks and bottles, until they got home.

They went to the luggage store and saw bags lined up on the walls with neat little rows for the trunks and luggage in the center. “Looks like what we need is over there,” Jet said pointing to the right wall. The bags ranged from cloth to leather, some small enough to be purses, others large enough to be carry-on luggage, in all colors imaginable. They went for the soft brown leather ones in the middle. The tags on each bag explained how much it would hold. Some were bottomless, which made it hard to tell how much or what was in them. Others were expanded to hold fifty items, no matter how large the item was, which made emptying them easier and you knew when they were full. The ladies choose the hundred fifty item bag made in soft tan leather that looked like a large purse. They wanted to make sure they had enough room for all the books they planned on buying. They paid for this and tried to decide where to go next.

They went to a wizard robe shop next; they wanted to get some robes to fit in better the next time they came. Not the closed robes that made them look like judges or graduates, no these were open styled robes, with cinched waist in the back, to show off the clothing you wore underneath, especially designed for Muggle-born women. They purchased these with their own money, two robes each. Jet bought two plain robes; one grey and one black. Frances got one a muted yellow with green vines and the other was sky blue with clouds floating across. Gilly went all out and got one that was tie-dye in fall colors and the other was bright green with gold trimming. There were no toddler clothes there. That was okay, though, the boys had plenty of clothes back at the house.

They left that store satisfied and looked around to find their next destination. “I think we need to go to the book store next. It’s getting late and it’s a long train ride home,” Jet said and started to the book store. “We can come back next month or so, after we finish reading whatever books we get today. By then we’ll have a better understanding of all this stuff. I don’t want to spend money on anything we won’t be able to use.” The other two nodded in agreement. And they all headed to the large store with a book in the window.

The inside of the book store was bright and clean, with rows of books, much like you would find in a library. There were a few chairs in front so you could scan many books at your leisure. Jet asked the clerk about them, “Aren’t you worried that someone will read the books and not pay for them?”

The young man shook his head and explained, “There are charms on the chairs. You can brings as many books as you want up front, but, you can only read five pages from each book. If after you read the five pages and want the book, then you can put it in your basket. If you don’t want the book, try and read the sixth page and the book will return to the shelf you got it from.”

“That’s pretty cleaver. Thanks,” Jet said shaking her head in wonder as she set off to the rows of books.

The store was sectioned for easy browsing. There was a section that carried school books, another for fiction (the ladies got the boys some children’s stories), others for Muggle parents and Muggle-borns, on laws, culture differences and what one might need to learn to fit in (the witches bought fifty three books from here), and others on magical theory and the history of magic (they bought twenty two from here). There were other sections that the witches didn’t get to. All things told the Owens women left the shop with ninety-two books costing them 120 -G- and 14 -S-. Again they split the cost. They placed them all in the expanded bag and made their way back to All Things Wicca.

Using her fake wand Jet opened the portal.

“I’m dog tired,” Gilly complained, checking on the sleeping Harry on her back. “Next time we leave earlier. I want to hit the second hand stores when we come again. They looked like they could save us and the boys some money. And I’d kill to get ahold of those old books, too bad we didn’t notice them until it was too late. I’m just glad that when we go back we won’t have to go to the bank again. Maybe next time we should look into getting and owl. I mean I don’t think the town is going to think we are any weirder than they already think we are. Man, I’m so tired I’m not even making sense to myself,” she said after they boarded the train to get home. She tried to get the sleeping Harry off her back so she could cradle so she could sit. Frances saw her struggle and helped her remove the baby and the carrier. Then turned and assisted Jet do the same.

“I agree, I don’t think it will be such a long day next time since we won’t have to deal with the goblins. I’m not sure why they thought we would need so much money. I think we should open an account in town in the boys’ name and put all the money we don’t use from the monthly checks in there so they have some savings in our world. We can give them an allowance from that so they can spend it in town and Alley. We’ll keep the Galleons left over from today with us and give them to the boys when they go back to England, so they have money on hand if needed,” Jet said softly leaning forward so they won’t be overheard.

“That’s simply perfect. I was wondering what to do with all that’s left over. I think we should get a safe or something hidden so it’s safer than just leaving it in the dresser. When we go back next time we need to hit all the stores for catalogs,” Frances said as she moved closer to Jet to keep their conversation soft.

“We’ll talk about it more when we get home. Right now I just want to take a nap,” Gilly said leaning her head back and closing her eyes, making sure to hold Harry close. The boys had been well behaved for toddlers; they only fussed when they needed changing or something to eat or drink. They had been more interested in all the new sights and bright people. She was pretty sure it wouldn’t be the same next time they went, when the kids would be more comfortable to her and her aunts.

“Here let me take Harry and you get some sleep,” Jet offered and removed the sleeping Harry from her niece’s lap and cradled him in her own. It was a quiet ride home and when they got there they simply cleaned up, ate and went to bed, they would look through everything in the morning.

**Hppmhppm**

For the next few weeks the witches spent all the time they weren’t taking care of the boys reading everything they had purchases and what was in the trunks. They finally figured out how to set up the nursery and shrink all their own furniture. They put the shrunken furniture in one of the empty trunks so they knew where it was. They put the left over Galleons another trunk, shrunk it and hid it in the attic behind a wall.

Gilly was reading all about magic toddlers and what to expect when they got older. She learned that the boys might start having accidental magic around the age of three if they were powerful wizards. She learned how to make stars appear on the ceiling of their room and how to play soft music in the air to keep them calm. The boys still had nightmares about the night Neville’s parents were attacked. And poor Harry added the night his mom died in front of him, not to mention the curse that scarred his forehead. So she was trying to find everything that would help them. The self-help books she got from the local library helped a lot and things were starting to calm down. The stars and music were easy magic for her. All she had to do was think the spell that was listed in the book and it happened. Magic like that always came easy to her.

Frances was reading about Muggle parents and Muggle-born, so she would know how to use all the stuff in the trunks. She was the one who helped the other two expand the boys’ furniture and set everything up in the attic turned nursery. She was also the one who learned how to make the boys’ toys work, which made the boys happy. She was trying to figure out why electricity worked in their house but not in wand wizard’s houses. Her theories so far is that wizards used magic for everything, even to wash the dishes and so they over charged the air. Since all the magic the Owens used was passive and sporadic, while it was still in the air it wasn’t overloaded. Another of her theories was that when electricity first came out it was not insolated and so when the wizards tried it everything fried and they never tried again. She was going to have to test these. It would be fun.

Jet was reading magical theory and learning how to incorporate it into their own magic, so they could teach the boys as they got older. She was coming up with games the boys could play to help them along. Wizards were taught a very young age that they would get into trouble with their government if they did magic, so Jet was thinking that they were repressing their children. That and they were taught, no wands no magic —another repression. The Owens were taught at a very young age that as long as they didn’t hurt anyone, you could do whatever came natural and felt good. She was pretty sure this was how Wiccans started.

According to Death theirs wasn’t the only family that didn’t go into hiding. So that particular cult probably started from them or squibs. She had no way to prove this though. She did some experiments and noticed that for something’s thinking or saying an incantation made it easier to focus on what you wanted to do, like expansion and shrinking charms. However, for more passive magic like stirring sugar into coffee it was easier just to think about stirring coffee and it just did it. Or gently blowing on a candle and making it light. Most of the rituals they used seem to be in place of spells that were cast with a wand. Maybe magic was like a muscle and you just had to practice thinking the spell until it became reflex. She would have to study that.

**_November 30, 1981_ **

Making her way down the stairs to breakfast, carrying Harry on her hip, Gilly almost dropped him when a funny looking creature appeared in front of her with a loud *pop*. It was about two feet tall, with spindly arms and legs and over-sized head and large headlight like eyes. It had pointed, bat-like ears. Rather than normal clothes, it was wearing a tea-towel.

Gilly screamed, scaring Harry, who started to cry, which made the creature start wailing and banging it’s head on the floor, which made the aunts come running with Neville who looked at the creature and excitedly said, “Kippy, Kippy,” as he held his arms out to the creature, squirming to get down. That made everyone stare and quiet down, except Harry who was still crying.

“Well,” Jet said looking from Neville to the creature, “It looks like Neville knows who this is. Can you talk?” she directed at the creature.

“Yes, Missy Witchy Jet, ma’am, Kippy can talk,” the tiny creature said nodding it’s disproportion head, ears flapping, eyes wide.

“Good, let’s go in the kitchen and sit down and you can tell us who you are, why Neville knows you and why you are here,” Jet said leading the way. Everyone sat at the table, the boys in Gilly’s and Frances’ laps, except the creature who remained standing. “Kippy, was it, why don’t you sit down too? So we can find out what is going on,” Jet pointed to a chair at the end of the table, away from the boys.

“Oh,” the creature started wailing, large tears dropping from it’s eyes. “Missy Witchy Jet is to kind to Kippy. Wanting Kippy to sit at the table like and equal,” The creatures wailing made Harry cry harder.

“Kippy, Kippy, stop that at once your scaring Harry,” Frances shouted to be heard.

“Oh, no, Kippy is scaring young Master Potter, Kippy will have to be punishing herself,” It stopped wailing as ordered but started banging it’s head on the floor again. The witches were horrified, not understanding in the least what the diminutive ‘Kippy’ was doing.

“Kippy, stop that,” Jet said going towards the creature as she was the only one without a child. She grabbed the creature by the shoulders and stopped it from banging it’s head anymore and then picked it up and sat it in the chair. “Now sit and tell us who and what you are and how you know Neville.”

“Kippy is Master Neville’s house elf, Kippy is being told by Missy Longbottoms to find Master Nevilles and take care of him and who is living with him. Missy Longbottoms is telling Kippy to do this because Kippy is a family elf and only Kippy can find Master Nevilles. Missy Longbottoms is telling Kippy she is be obeying any ones in the house with Master Nevilles, Kippy is supposed to be staying here and not going back until Master Nevilles is returning to England. Missy Longbottoms is telling Kippy that no matter who’s calling Kippy she is to be staying with Master Nevilles. Kippy is so very happy she is finding young Master. Kippy was worried. Now Kippy is here to take care of him and she is not having to worry anymore,” The excited elf said all but bouncing off her chair like it was to run to the kitchen to start on the breakfast.

The women looked around at each other confused. They hadn’t read anything about house elves and had no idea what to do with Kippy.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: not much changed in this chapter, just some added description and one more store.**

**I am sure you figured it out but: -G- = Galleons; -S- = Sickles; -K- = Knuts.**


	9. Chapter 9: Kippy

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

“Well I’m glad you’re happy, but we don’t know what house elves are so you’ll need to explain it to us. But first the boys need breakfast. So you wait here while I get the boys breakfast,” Jet said starting for the kitchen.

“Oh, Kippy will be getting Missy Witchys and young Masters breakfast. Kippy is knowing what young Masters is liking, Kippy has made them breakfast befores, but what is Witchys wanting. Kippy will make good breakfast,” The excitable house elf jumped from her chair and ran to the kitchen ready to prepare breakfast.

“Kippy, stop,” ordered Jet firmly. Kippy stopped in her tracks, Jet continued in a gentler voice, “We can make our own breakfast. We’ve been doing ourselves for years. I need you to wait at the table and let me get this done so we can talk about you and why you are here.”

The little house elf started wailing, again, pulling her ears in adgitation. “No, no, no Missy Witchy Jet, Kippy is must to be making breakfast. Kippy was ordered to take care of Master Nevilles and everyone in his house. Kippy must obey orders,” the poor house elf said, she continued on and on, until ordered to stop, making the boys cray.

‘Well this is not going well.’ Jet thought looking at the other adults to see if they knew what to do. The women shook their heads they had no idea how to make this… house elf happy. “Okay Kippy, stop, you’re scaring the boys,” pointing at the still crying children, “and stop hurting yourself,” She said firmly, “Look, how about you make the boys something to eat and the rest of us will wait until after you tell us why you’re here and see if we can’t reach a compromise,” she said sitting back down, hand firmly folding in front of her on the table.

The excited Kippy ran to the kitchen and zipped around, opening up cupboard after cupboard, until she found the children’s cereal. She put some in plastic bowls, without milk, got the milk sippy-cups from the refrigerator, and brought everything to the table. The witches looked on in awe at how fast the elf preformed her so called duty. “Kippy is needing Missy Witchys to be putting the young Masters in their highchairs, so Kippy can gives them their foods,” the little elf said, her face still showing how much she wanted to be doing the work.

Gilly and Frances put the boys in the chairs and stood back. As soon as the boys saw their food they quieted down and start grabbing the cereal, spilling most of it of course, which is why the milk was in the sippy-cups.

“Okay, Kippy sit back down and tell us what a house elf is,” Jet said after making sure the boys were happy. Gilly and France settled at the table again.

Kippy sat back in the chair she was in before and took a deep breath and started her story. “House elves has been waiting on wizards a long time. We is bound to wizard families and we has to do whatever a wizard bes telling us to do. If we do not do this we is being punished or is being made to punish ourselves.”

“Wait. Are you telling us that you’re slaves? How can wizards get away with this?” Gilly said absolutely appalled, it was unthinkable to her. The Aunts also had complete looks of horror on their faces.

“Yes and No Missy Witchy Gilly, you sees a long ago when there were no house elves and wizards were just starting to settle together. They is getting lazy, making magic that can dos most anything with just a wave of a wand. So one day a witch, names Louise Houghton, is wanting to be stopping doing all the housework sos she can dos her research without stopping. She studys for many months tryings to come up with a way shes would not be having doing her own housework. She is making a golem and making it want to do housework, but it does not think for itself. It only does what it is told. But this witch is not being very powerful. So what instead of a human shape golem she is making one that is looking like Kippy, but this golem is doing her housework and she is not changing it,” Kippy said as she looked at the Owens women to see if they were following along. When she saw their studious faces on hers, she continued.

“When other wizards is seeing this golem they is being thinking this is being a great idea. So they is copying it, after a while there is being many of the golems but they is not reproducing as they is not real, real. So one wizard, his name is being Jonathan Shorters, is thinking that he is being changing that, but he is not wanting to makes them free. So after many years of searching and creating he is making a spell to make us sentient but bound to wizards for all times. *House elves must being obeying any commands given to us by our Masters. Sometime we is wanting be to disobeying orders, but a Master’s orders are ‘the house-elf's highest law,’ we cannot, and we is being forced to punish ourselves if we try…” she said firmly, glancing at the young Masters to make sure they didn’t need anything.

The Owen women cringed. Kippy turned back to them and continued, “When a house elf is mistreated, we will being only doing enough work just to be obeying our Master's order. Sometime we is being sneaky, sneaky, and if even the itsy bitsyist loophole can be found in a master's orders, and we is being unhappy with our Master will we will be sneaky, sneaky and be using it,” She said mischievously and made little movements with her hands, like one would make if they were sneaking about a house.

“If our Master is wanting to make sure of our loyalty and wants us to bes following all orders and not wanting us to be sneaky, sneaky all they needs to be doing simply treat us properly,” Kippy said with a small smile, then the smile turned into a slight frown. “Even if we is having a bad Masters most of us is _enjoying_ being bound… some Masters genuinely love and care for us,” she explained to show that not all wizards are mean, “and they is treating us like pretty pets or dolls, giving us good words and rooms for doing our duties. It is making us happy.

“Wes can only be freed by our Master if they is presenting us clothes, which is why wes wear tea-towels and pillowcases. * (adapted from Harry Potter Wiki.). But we is not wanting clothes, we is liking to work. We is not human, we is happy to be as we are. We is not understanding any other way to be,” Kippy finished tugging on her tea-towel as she waited for to the women to understand. “Yous also needs to be knowing house elf magic is very powerful and yous should not underestimate us. Wes can only be doing the magic our Masters is telling us to be doing, but wes can do very big magic,” she said as an afterthought.

“So, just to get this straight, you _like_ to be a slave. And you don’t _want_ to be free because that’s the way you were… designed, made, whatever?” Gilly asked thinking this was going to take some getting used to.

“Yes Missy Witchy Gilly,” Kippy nodded.

“Why do you call us Missy Witchy when you serve witches and wizard?” Jet asked. “Can’t you just call us by our names? Come to think about it, how did you even know our names?”

“It is a house elf’s duty to know everyone in the house they serve. We is being very protective of our charges. So we is needing to know who belongs into the house we is serving. Missy Longbottoms is ordering Kippy to serve this house so Kippy is just knowing who is who and who belongs here,” Kippy explained raising her hands in an empty gesture to show she couldn’t explain it better than that. “Kippy cannot be calling yous by your names. Kippy must call you with proper titles and yous is called Missy Witchy because you is not like other witches Kippy knows, so you is being called something else so Kippy is showing she knows yous is different.”

“Okay, so from your explanation, you are sentient, but you are just higher than a very smart dog?” Frances asked as she checked on the boys. They seemed happy enough and were almost done with their breakfast.

“Kippy is much smarter than doggy’s, but yes that is mostly right. Kippy can think for herself, Kippy can read and write and talk and has her own magic, but must be obeying orders and protecting, like doggy’s.”

“So if we order you to not do all the housework, you will have to obey that, but you won’t be happy?” Frances asked. She really didn’t want the boys to grow up lazy and having someone doing all the chores wouldn’t help with that. “And we can’t just send you back to Mrs. Longbottom? And you can’t tell her where the boys are?”

Kippy thought about this and looked for the loopholes and after a minute said, “If you is giving Kippy a good reason why she is not to be doing all the housework or tending the Masters, Kippy will be somewhats happy. It wills be easier if you is being finding somethings to keep Kippy busy. Kippy can gather plants and be doing the shopping and delivers mail. So if you gives Kippy somethings to makes her feel useful, Kippy will always be happy to serve. Kippy has orders to be serving Master Nevilles and his new family, even if you is freeing Kippy she can nots be going back to old family or be telling anyone’s where he is being. Kippy has been promising to Missy Longbottom, she would not.”

Frances looked at Jet who looked at Gilly and they had a silent conversation with nods and shaking of their heads. This might just be what they needed, so they didn’t have to go to the Alley, since it was so far away to take the boys this time of year. If they could get Kippy to pop over there and get catalogs then they could send her to get more books and maybe potion ingredients. Goldworthy said merchandise was cheaper in the Alley and they had wondered if food and herbs were cheaper as well. They had just talked about this a week ago and were making tentative plans to go back. But, they really hadn’t wanted to take the boys on that long, cold, train ride.

Jet wanted some books on potions and herbs so see the difference between the two worlds. Frances wanted to see what furniture they would need for the growing boys. Gilly wanted to find more toys and books for the boys.

They were already starting some games that taught the boys to change the colors of their toys and float things to their cribs with only gestures from their hands or just looking at the toys and using their minds to have them float to them. It wasn’t easy as the boys didn’t understand a lot of what the witches were telling them. It was mostly show them what the witches could do and the boys copied.

“Here’s what we were thinking,” Frances said when everyone seemed to come to the same conclusion, “we need some stuff from SunSpot Alley and if what you say is true then you can just pop over there and get it for us?” Kippy nodded her head. “That’s good. So since we still have some galleons from last time we were there, how about after breakfast, you go to all the stores get their catalogs. Then we can see what is actually for sale in each store. We’ll make a list of what we need and you can go and get it for us.” this caused the elf’s large grey eyes to brighten with happy tears, she was afraid they would have made her do nothing.

“We’ll let you do some of the housework and keep things looking neat,” Jet took up the dialog. “However, we want the boys to keep their own rooms clean when they are older. They need them to know responsibility and that is the best way to teach them. We’ll also keep our own room clean. But we will let you do the laundry. Plus we might need you to take letters to Goldworthy at Gringotts in Salem. Is everyone in agreement with that?” She asked looking around the room to see if everyone agreed.

“Let me add that we also want to take care of the boys. You know, give them baths, dress them and keep teaching them our magic —since Kippy’s magic isn’t the same. It’ll keep them use to us and let them know we will always be around,” Gilly said making Kippy turn her way. “You can change their diapers, what you call nappies, and make sure they have clean clothes. You can even make the food. But we,” pointing to herself and her Aunts, “don’t want to start getting lazy so we’ll do the dishes and tend the garden. You can gather herbs that aren’t found in the garden and make sure the herb pantry is stocked and organized, though we’ll clean up after ourselves when we do spells.”

“That sounds about right,” Jet said as she nodded in agreement. “Since you can’t return home we should free you. We can free you right? Since you were told to serve us you can be freed by us, correct?” Kippy gave a fearful nod of her head, sad tears welling up in her eyes. After all, it is the greatest threat to a house elf. “Okay, no don’t cry honey, we don’t want to free you to send you away. We’ll pay you a galleon a week and of course room and board,” she said and held up her hand to stop the protest, “you don’t have to spend it. You can put it aside and use if for birthday and Christmas gifts, so you can join the family in celebrating. We want you to stay on, but, we want to hire you. It would make us feel a lot better. If, when the boys reach of age, and you still want to be bonded, then you can talk to them or we can find you a new home. Maybe Mrs. Longbottom will take you back.”

Kippy thought long and hard about this and tried to overcome her fears. These witches weren’t what she was used to. Nobody that she knew would want to set free and then hire a house elf. It took around thirty minutes for her to calm down enough answer. The aunts put the cereal, which was spilled on the toddlers’ trays, back in the bowls and picked the empty sippy-cups off the floor, where the boys had thrown them.

Finally Kippy looked up from her contemplating and said, “Kippy is agreeing, Kippy will clean the house, do the laundries, do the shopping, takes the mails to the goblins. But will let the Missy Witchys do the dishes, tends the garden, teach the Masters. Kippy will accept being free, but will still follow Missy Longbottoms orders to be serving Master Nevilles. Kippy will be very happy to bes part of Witchys family. Kippy will accept pay for this reason,” she finished off with a firm nod of her head. This might just work out. Kippy had never been part of a family before, being the adventurous elf she was, it would be just fine.

“Good, then we are all in agreement,” Jet said and she took off her robe she handed it to Kippy. “Kippy you are now free,” Kippy took the robe and cried for a few minutes, it was hard on an elf to be free it went against everything they believed in. “Now Kippy we would like to hire you on until such time as you want to go back to Mrs. Longbottom or Neville wants to bond with you. Do you agree?” Jet said doing her best to console the poor little thing.

Kippy nodded her head still crying, “Kippy is accepting yours good offer, and Kippy will be keeping yours secrets just as if she is being bonded. Yous is kind to Kippy giving hers work and paying hers.”

“Kippy, how will keep the neighbors from seeing you? They think we are weird enough as it is, we don’t want to give them anything else to talk about,” Frances asked, grasping the first thing she could think of to distract the elf from her crying. After all, they only just got most of the town to not be afraid of them. If a strange creature was seen popping around their house, that might get everyone up in arms again.

“House elves is very good about not being seen,” Kippy said drying her tears on the robe, and then showed them by becoming invisible then visible again.

“That’ll do it. Okay Kippy you can go and make us breakfast now. Just make whatever you usually make. Let me know if you need any help understanding how anything works. I’m pretty sure this kitchen is not what you’re used to,” Frances said as she took the boys out of their highchairs and put them in the playpen that she had set up in the dining room earlier that morning. It was the same one that Death had created and they just moved it around the house as needed, to them it was kinda special. Gilly grabbed the broom and started cleaning the cereal mess on the floor.

“Kippy will start right way, Missy Witchyes. Kippy will not be needing any help. Kippy is a smart house elf. Kippy will figure it out. Missy Witchy Frances is a good witch thinking of Kippy,” Kippy squeaked excitedly and then popped to the kitchen and started making breakfast for the adults, after giving the juice sippy-cups to the boys.

“We’re going to have to ask her where she’ll be sleeping and what she needs and stuff,” Gilly said thoughtfully. “I want to see if there are any books that will explain more about house elves.”

“We’ll do that after breakfast. Why don’t you get some toys for the boys to play with while we wait?” Frances said as she watched the excitable house elf use her magic to make them breakfast. It was pretty neat seeing things fly out of the cupboards and around the room. She did notice that none of the electronics stopped working, so maybe her theory about insolation was correct. She would have to keep researching and testing.

Soon the witches were all settled eating the best breakfast they had ever had, though it was a bit heavier than they were used to. They would have to give Kippy some American cookbooks so she would know what the witches ate regularly. But all and all this seemed to be working out okay so far. They would have to wait and see.

But for now it seemed as though their family had grown yet again.

**hppmhppm**

Things seemed to progress well for the next week. Kippy had popped to the Alley that day and retrieved the catalogs they had asked for. It seemed not all the stores had catalogs, like the second-hand stores, but what they had would work for now.

Jet paid attention to how Kippy’s magic worked. While it seemed to be fine in the kitchen and dining room; it showed that whenever she did big magic, like trying to rid all the dust out of the living room —the lights flickered. Or when she tried to do the laundry with magic —the washer caught fire. So her theory seemed to be correct in both cases. If Kippy tried to flood the room with magic, or consintrated on one thing, like the washer, then the electronics would stop working. But if she only did passive magic, like take the dishes out of the cupboard, nothing happened.

“Kippy can you explain to me what happened different with the washer, then with the stove?” Jet said to her after the washer was considered irreparable by the repairman they called.

Kippy stood in front of Jet and try to explain, “Kippy is so sorry, this is not being like the washers Kippy is used to. The washers that Kippy is use to is not being hooked to ekeristity. The washer Kippy is being used to is just a big tub with rollers on top. Alls Kippy has to do is put magic in the tub and the tub fills with waters and cleans the clothes and then Kippy bes putting the clothes in the rollers and then she snaps her fingers and be dryings them. When Kippy trys to be doing that with this washer it is making loud noises and then smokes be coming from it. With Missy Witchys stove it is being mostly, mostly like Kippy is being use to. All Kippy has to do is be turning the knobbies and the stove be turning on, easy, easy. Kippy is so sorry, Kippy will has to be punishing herself,” she wept and started to bang her head on the floor.

“Kippy stop,” Jet said grabbing the elf gently by the shoulders, “remember you are a free elf, if you want we can let you give us 10 sickles a week for a year from your pay to help pay for a new washer. That’s what any other servant would do,” she compromised, she knew that was nowhere near the cost of a washer but figured it would make the little house elf feel better. She reaffirmed her grip Kippy’s shoulders, almost loosening the robe that she wore. Every since they freed her she took to wearing the robes in the house. Even though they were Gilly’s short robes they were very large on the diminutive house elf, so it looked rather silly, but she insisted. The Owens women have always let people live and let live, they were slightly concerned that Kippy would hurt herself on the too large robes though. They were still trying to convince her to buy her own robes or even shrink the ones she was wearing, but Kippy was being stubborn about it. So they decided to try and give her some for Yule.

So after replacing the washer and showing Kippy how to use it as well as a dust rag and vacuum. Things seemed to go smoother.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: not much changed in this one either, since it was mostly explanations.**


	10. Chapter 10: Sally’s Visits

**AN: Flying solo, no beta. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**hppmhppm**

**_July 28, 1982_ **

Everyone was excited; the air was practically crackling with nervous and happy energy. In a few days it would be the boys second birthday. Sally and the girls were coming to meet the boys, stay for a week and celebrate. They hadn’t been able to come for Yule because they had celebrated with Sally’s second husband, Gary’s family.

The house was cleaned from top to bottom. The banishers shined, the guest rooms were made with fresh linens, and the bathrooms got a complete cleaning. The women knew Sally wouldn’t care, however, Kippy seemed to believe that it must be done for all guest. She even made the aunts and Gilly clean their rooms.

It was a hot evening; you could hear the bugs chirping and the evening birds singing. The trees and garden were green with life the roses around the greenhouse were in full bloom. The outside of the house was as clean and neat as the inside. There was a gentle breeze that really did nothing to cool the temperature on this July night.

The people in the Owens house were dressed for the summer, along thin skirt and light sleeveless shirt for Gilly. The aunts were dressed in their normal attire, which was thinner than what they wore in the winter, but nevertheless covered most of their body’s. The boys were wearing thin tee-shirt and shorts. Fans were going full force and the room was a moderate temperature, compared to the outside.

They were waiting for Sally and the girls to show up. Sally said they’d be here sometime this evening. Harry and Neville were in their playpen making their toys float around their heads giggling. Occasionally the ball that was floating would change color. It was the two bits of magic they had gotten really good at.

Gilly was pacing, her bare feet were making a slapping noise on the wooden floor. The aunts were calmly watching the boys, between moves as they played a game of backgammon. Kippy was in the kitchen making a light dinner.

Sally and her family knew all about Kippy, the aunts had sent them books to explain who and what she was, so that no one would be surprised when they came. Sally had been just as appalled as the aunts and Gilly were, but also happy that they freed Kippy and offered to hire her on. Though, she hoped that Kippy wouldn’t want to rebind with anyone when Neville got of age. They could only hope that they raised him to know better than to enslave anyone.

It was about 7 pm when everyone heard the tires crunching up the gravel drive.

“They’re here,” Gilly yelled, startling the boys and the toys they had been playing with dropped. Gilly ran out of the house long skirts flying, while the aunts picked up a youngster each and followed.

“You’re here,” Gilly said, as she launched herself at her sister, who hadn’t even gotten out of the car yet. The red head grabbed her sister in a big hug, laughing and dancing around. They had always been very close. They were closer now after what happened with Jimmy. When they were teens, they had made a blood vow that they’d die together. This was not that day. It was that vow that broke the Owens curse.

The back door opened and two girls got out and they started jumping around trying to hug both the adult sisters at the same time.

“Hey Gilly,” Sally laughed as she hugged her sister; her voice carried a hint of worry, “are you doing okay? I know it’s been a year since the whole Jimmy thing, but I want to hear it from you that you are okay,” She said as she pulled back, placed her hand on both side of Gilly’s face and looked at her sister with concern filled brown eyes as they roamed the red-blondes face looking for any sign of distress.

“Yeah, I’m good Sally,” Gilly reassured her placing her hand over Sally’s, her blue eyes looked back showing that she was indeed fine. “Taking care of the boys helped a lot. You know they took my mind of things and they lost their parents in a bad way. So we’re kinda being there for each other and healing together. They don’t even really have nightmares anymore. Neither do I now that I think about it. So we’re good, better, really.”

“Aunt Gilly, Aunt Gilly, I’m so glad to see you,” said Kaylie, who was seven, jumping up and down to get to her favorite aunt’s attention, her long auburn hair bouncing with her, her blue eyes laughing. “I want to meet our new cousins. Did you know Mom does magic at home all the time now? And she is teaching us new things too. We can even light candles by ourselves. Gary thinks the whole thing is just weird, but he is cool with it. He is a really neat guy. I’m glad Mom got together with him.”

Gilly dropped her hands and bent down and gave her nieces a big group hug. “I’m really glad everything worked out for, you guys. Oh, you are getting so big. You look so happy and so does your Mom. You’ve been taking really good care of her. Thanks for that,” she said tweaking their noses, and then followed with a kiss on each nose.

“Yeah, I want to meet our new cousins too,” said Antonia, who was a year younger than her sister. She had brown hair and eyes, just like her mom. She turned to see her great aunts standing in the doorway holding two toddlers. She broke away from the hug and ran to greet them. “Aunt Jet, Aunt Frances, is this our new cousins? Why don’t they look alike? I thought it was their birthday, if they have the same birthday then shouldn’t look alike. I have twins in my class at school and they look alike,” she questioned rapidly, just like any other child her age.

“Whoa slow down, pumpkin, we’ll tell everyone the story when we get inside,” Jet said as she turned to the three remaining people in the drive. “Come on everyone, let’s go into the living room and you can meet the whole family.” She pivoted to the house, with Neville on her hip, and started to the living room.

Gilly grabbed Sally’s and Kaylie’s hands and started dragging them to the house. “You have no idea how confusing these last few of months have been. Everything we thought we knew about magic is so different then everything we’ve read so far. Aunt Jet is trying to figure out how to combine the two so we can teach the boys without making them freaks when they rejoin their world,” she rambled on as they approached the door. “Sorry Gary couldn’t come and visit, but I understand that he couldn’t get time off work. We really didn’t give you guys much notice, but we only found out when the boys birthdays were after we read some papers we got from the bank,” she said still dragging her captives towards the house. “We put off reading them, because we got so caught up in reading about this new weird world, that we completely forgot about them until Goldsworthy, that’s the banker, sent us a letter asking if we could send our bank information to get the monthly checks for the boys. He was going to send them in the mail, but he decided that it would be safer to deposit them directly in the bank. He said it was a new way of safely sending money to people in the non-magical world, which one of the non-magical born people told the bank about. But, we had so much money left over from the first time we went to the bank, that we didn’t even think about why we hadn’t received a check. It is so good to see you Sally, you have no idea,” she concluded as they reached the porch.

“Gilly, Gilly wait,” Sally said tugging her hand as she tried to go back to the car. “we need to get our bags.”

“Don’t worry about them Kippy will get them, she insist. She said that it is part of her job to make sure that guests are taken care of. We tried to tell her that you guys could do it yourselves, but she can be stubborn about some things. Like the time we tried to let the boys have cake for breakfast. She told us in no uncertain terms that we were never to do that again. She said that ‘growing wizards must be getting proper meals and young Masters is being growing wizards’, her words not ours,” Gilly said trying to copy Kippy high-pitched voice, one hand waging a finger, the other hand on her hip, as she stomped her foot. Making Kaylie and Sally giggle. “She said, as long as we’re paying her she doesn’t have to do as we say all the time because, ‘yous Missy Witchys is not being like other Masters, yous is hiring Kippy so Kippy will be doing what proper house elves be doing.’”

“Yous shouldn’t be making fun of Kippy,” Kippy said coming from the kitchen. “Kippy is not talking like that,” she said in her squeaky voice standing in her tiny robe that Gilly had given her for Yule; you could see the flora tea-towel peeking from under the fold.

“Sorry Kippy, I was only joking,” Gilly said. She bent down and giving the tiny house elf a hug.

“So you’re a house elf. You’re pretty much like the books described. Nice robe Kippy. I’m Sally, Gilly’s sister,” Sally said holding out her hand. “This is Kaylie, my oldest daughter. The brown haired, rug-rat that’s running around is my youngest, Antonia.”

“Kippy is very happy to be meeting Missy Witchy Sally and little Missy Kaylie. Kippy wills be done with dinner very soon. Everyone is being waiting for yous in the living room,” Kippy took the hand and giving it a vigorous shaking. “Kippy wills be getting your bags and be taking them to yours rooms now,” And she disappeared with a pop.

“That’s really neat. Will the boys be able to disappear like that?” Kaylie said looking at the spot where Kippy had been. “Can we learn it?”

“Let go into the living room and Aunt Jet can try and tell you what we’ve figured out, okay kiddo?” Gilly said ruffling Kaylie’s hair.

They went into the living room where the Aunts were seated on one couch watching the children play. Harry and Neville were back in their playpen, with Antonia jumping up and down, trying to grab the toys the boys were floating. Occasionally you would see her stop and her face would scrunch up as she tried to make the toys float too.

Sally gave her Aunts a hug and sat next to Kaylie on the other couch, while Gilly joined the aunts, and said, “Okay, I’ve read all the books you sent me and figured some things out for myself. But, why don’t you tell me what you’ve figured out and how I can help.”

Jet looked at her niece and noticed that she looked very healthy and happy. She had an aura about her that they hadn’t seen since Michael died. “Yes dear, you’re looking well, marriage has done you wonders. We’re fine, thanks for asking. Antonia,” she called to the youngest girl, “come over here, darling, and we’ll answer some of your questions.”

“Sorry Aunt Jet. How are you? Glad to hear it. I just want to help you with all that’s going on here,” Sally said with a flush on her cheeks, embarrassed to be chastised, albeit mildly.

Antonia came and sat with her mom and sister on the couch and waited for the aunts to speak. The boys played quietly with their toys. Kippy popped in and handed out tall glasses of iced juice to everyone and popped away.

“Okay, so, first of all let me answer some of Antonia’s questions, they’re the easiest. The boys aren’t twins, they’re not even brothers. They were actually born a day apart. We’re just celebrating it on the same day. We’ll switch off each year. Harry was born on July 31st and Neville was born on the 30th. This year we’ll celebrate on the 30th. However, even if they aren’t brothers, we’ll raise them as if they were. Jim, Death to you guys, said that we can’t adopt them into the family in case the curse passes on to them. But they’ll be known as Owen’s in school and around town,” Frances said, looking fondly at her great niece.

“Okay, I can see that. Was that all you girls wanted to know?” Sally said looking at her girls who were watching the playpen instead of paying attention to the adults.

“Yeah, can we go and play with the boys now?” Kaylie asked distractedly, eyes on the boys.

“Yes, but, don’t take them out of the playpen in here, it really isn’t baby proof,” Sally said and gave them a gentle nudge to the hallway were the coat rack was.

“Okay mom,” they said as they went back to where the tots were giggling away.

“So, from what Gilly said, you now have a free house elf and she is a bossy one. This is good, from what you tell me about what Death said Harry and Neville will have to have some kind of proper manners and you guys… not big on the manner thing,” Sally said looking at the other three women. “She also told me they’re going to be some kind of Lords or something. I know, from the way you guys raised us, manners or not they’re going to raise hell when they go back to England. Did Death even tell you why they have to go back? I mean if you guys are hiding them, why return?” she asked confusion creeping in to her voice.

Gilly took a deep breath and answered, “Jim said he didn’t know why, only that it was a ‘pivotal point in fate’ and had to be done. We’re,” pointing between her and the aunts, “thinking of keeping the boys out of public school and hiring tutors. I mean, why send them to elementary school if they’re only going to be there for three years. The magic school in this area starts at eight. And the money they send us monthly is way too much. By the time the boys are four we should have enough to hire at least three tutors for about three hours a day; one for etiquette, one for charms and one for non-magical studies. We figured since they won’t need as many school supplies, we can save some of the school money to hire more tutors later. And maybe get a computer,” she finished, sounding more mature than she ever had before.

Sally couldn’t help but think that if nothing else being a mom was helping her sister grow up. She just hoped it didn’t crush her free spirit and that she would pass that free spirit on to the boys, if in a lesser extent. “That actually sound like a good idea, I’m surprised you guys came up with it,” Sally said smiling to let them know she was joking.

“Bitch,” Jet said reaching over and swatted her niece on the arm.

Sally just laughed, “No, really, it does sound like a good idea. Even if you only a tutor just for etiquette only and then you guys won’t have to try and change your ways so you can teach them. This is good. Just make sure that you take many trips into town so they’re not isolated here. Even if you keep up your catty comments about the town folk while you’re at it.” She remembered full well her aunts’ vicious tongues that caused her no end of embarrassment when she was growing up. When she got older she realized this was a shield for her aunts and accepted it.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what we were planning on. We don’t know the first thing about etiquette and books will only take you so far. I don’t think I’ve read so many books in my life as I have since we got these little guys. Though, I mostly read on how to raise wizards and how to work the toys and stuff. The aunts take the hard studies and let me know anything I need to know to teach the boys. But it seems to work out better that way,” Gilly said with a shrug.

Just then Kippy popped in and announced dinner. They grabbed the kids and went to wash up before going to the dining room. The table was laid out with a light chicken, vegetable and rice dish. Kippy had learned to make lighter meals from the cookbooks the aunts had given her for Yule.

“This looks great,” Kaylie said as she sat down next to the highchairs so she could be near her new cousins.

“Yeah, it took about a month to get her to stop making the heavy stuff they eat in England. But, we got her some cookbooks and health food guides and it’s been pretty smooth sailing from there. I gotta tell ya, you won’t find a better cook than Kippy. Too bad she won’t let us eat chocolate for dinner, before and after yeah but not for,” Gilly said after putting Neville in his high chair and giving him some of the cut up chicken, diced vegetables and a bread slice that Kippy has set aside for the boys, since they didn’t want to chance rice just yet. They let the boys eat with their hands for now.

“Well it does smell wonderful. So let’s eat and after dinner we can continue with our talk. Maybe put the kids in the play room so they don’t have to play around the play pen. Can Kippy watch them?” Sally said serving herself some of the delicious smelling meal.

“Yeah, Kippy will watch them and make sure the boys don’t leave the room. Unless they say they have to go potty, they’re in training you know?” Frances said taking her seat after placing Harry and making sure he had his food.

“Alright, let’s eat,” Sally said and picked up her fork to do just that.

After dinner the women sent the children in the play room that the aunts had set up on the first floor. The room was child proof and set up to in such a manner that the boys could get the toys they wanted and not have to climb on anything. The aunts and Gilly felt comfortable enough to let Kippy stay there to make sure no one got hurt and to tend to the children if they needed to leave the room.

The room was also warded so that the children could only leave if Kippy, or one of the adults, was with them. It was one of the first things Gilly had learned, so they didn’t have to baby proof the entire house. This way the boys had a room that was all theirs —the house was big enough for that. The long winding stairs, which circled the middle of the house, was warded the same way.

Kaylie and Toni were fascinated with the magical toys the boys had and immediately set about making up games so they could teach their cousins.

The Owens women settled back in the living room.

“Okay,” Sally said leaning back on the couch, tummy comfortably full from the best chicken dinner she had ever had, “so from what you’ve told me the magic is pretty much the same. On the other hand, we don’t use it as much as the witches and wizards of this hidden world. According to you and what I’ve read, they use magic for pretty much everything. While we use it for…I don’t know…passive things, I guess. I mean, I know we have the Book and that we can make major changes in people’s lives, but, we only do that when we are paid and not every day. Also these wizards require wands, while we do thing just by thinking about it or cast rituals. So what have you come up with to teach the boys both forms?”

“Well as you know Kippy won’t let us let the boys run free, like we did with you,” Jet said leaning back on the couch happy her family was here. “She has worked in a magical household all her life. She suggested from what she has seen us do that we play games so the boys won’t be afraid of the magic they have. We’ve been doing that. From what she says, the wizards are happy when the child does accidental magic, then they make the child stop for fear of the government. They don’t teach the children they just wait for it to happen. We keep the training inside the house, which Death said is warded, so that their government won’t know magic it being used. We play the music at night and talk to them about mind magic in soft voices until they go to sleep. That way they can start meditation at an early age. I don’t’ think they really understand us, but the soothing voice goes a long way to help with the nightmares,” she concluded her long winded explanation.

“We’ve also learned that they have many things in this hidden world that we don’t have here. Like how we use herbs, fruits, vegetables and flowers in our potions, they use plants that we’ve never heard of in theirs and they use real cauldrons,” Frances took up the narrative, as she floated an Herbology book off the shelf on the wall to show what she was talking about. Then she nudged it in Sally’s direction until her niece caught it. “They also have magical animals that we’ll never find in this world. Did you know unicorns were real, dragons too? We’ve had Kippy go to the Alley and get some of this stuff and experimented. The potions they have could rival the products you make. This is why I sent those books to you to read, they might help your shop grow. Though, if you get caught then they might throw you in jail. So if you do I’d keep it hidden if I were you,” she said with a quick wink.

“That and most of those potions are disgusting, not like yours,” Gilly said wrinkling her nose and making gagging noises. “Yours smell wonderful,” she said with a blissful sigh, she missed Sally’s lotions.

“Okay, so we know the potions are different and we can try and mesh them together to see if we can’t make a better product,” Sally said as she looked through the book. “Maybe, when Harry and Neville get older, we can get them to sell whatever we discover for us in this hidden world. But, what about the magic?” Sally said wanting to know. She then closed the book and put it in her lap, already going over what she could do with plants list. She was the better potion maker in the family. Her shop proved that. She had had to close the shop here when she got married and moved. But then again, she opened one up in the town she was living in now. It made some pretty good money. If wizard ingredients were better then she could make more money.

“Well, like I said, they use more of it than we do. This is why they can’t have electricity in their houses. However, we can use our minds and hands to do almost everything they can do with wands. According to the books I’ve read what we do is supposed to be impossible. We send out waves of magic, they send out beams,” Jet said after pondering what she had learned from her experiments. “So we’ll teach the boys how to channel their magic like we do. We are going to take them to the Solstice gatherings so they can feel all the magic that collects there. I’ve noticed that when channeling with the incantations through my finger the spell worked better, more focused maybe, but I don’t need a wand or anything. Though it still get sent out in waves, but narrower waves, I guess.”

“We’ve also decided that wizards are stupid, lazy and have no common sense. They think the same about us. I think that the word they use for people without magic —Muggle— is insulting and I don’t want the boys or Kippy using it. We’ll just call them non-magical,” Gilly said, after all she had been teased most of her life so she knew how it felt to be called names and while it really didn’t bother her anymore she knew it bother Sally. She didn’t want the boys calling anyone anything that might be taken as an insult.

“Yeah, I don’t like that word either,” Sally said as she wrinkled her nose while nodding her head in agreement. “And from what I’ve read you’re right, they really don’t think much of anyone not in their, oh so, secret society. So we’re going to have to teach the boys both worlds and maybe they can teach their friends. Since they’ll grow up in this world knowing the other, they can put it into prospective.”

The ladies chatted back and forth for hours on theory and training. They decided that wizards were just plain lazy and they’d teach the boys not to use magic for everything. The playing the tots did now was more exercise then it was being lazy. The women figured if the Owens women could grow strong and still live a mostly normal lives, then the boys can to.

Sally and her girls stayed for the week and celebrated the birthdays with the boys, the aunts, Gilly and Kippy. The almost brothers were given many toys (non-magical and magical), some books (non-magical and magical) and a few clothes. Pictures were taken to send to Madam Longbottom, they did hold a few back for Sirius. They made sure that only a plain blue wall was seen in the background.

The girls loved that they had cousins and tried to teach them everything they knew. Soon all the children had toys flying around the playroom and changing colors. Sally decided she wouldn’t let the girls use magic to clean their rooms. She figured that she might try and find a way to ward their rooms so that magic wouldn’t work there. She decreed that magic was to only be used outside bedrooms.

After spending a fulfilling week with the family, Sally and her girls went home happy and wiser.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: So according to the Practical Magic Wiki Sally was born in 1975, which will screw up my time line big time so I have her born in 1956 and Gilly born the year after. The girls Kaylie and Antonia are going to be younger than they were in the movie, so Kaylie will be 7 and Antonia will be 6. This will mean that Sally will have been married to Michael when she was 18 and had the oldest a year after. Michael will have died when Kaylie was around 5 to make my story time line work. I call artistic license.**

 


	11. Chapter 11: Meeting the Tutor

**AN: I wanted to have the boys in this chapter but it seemed to write itself. So I am hoping to have them in the next chapter. After they go to Salem Magical Institute we will see more of them and less of the Owens women. So I will try and speed it along. This one is a little short.**

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one, no beta.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**hppmhppm**

**_September 7, 1984_ **

The last two years were spent in learning a great deal of magic, having lots of fun hiding treats from Kippy and playing games. They had gone back to SunSpot Alley a few times so the boys could see the wizard culture. They had made many trips in to town so show off the boys, about half the town was okay with them now so there wasn’t as much running and hiding as there used to be, though there still was some.

Aunt Jet made sure to tell the boys who was okay with them and what families to watch out for.

It was the beginning of the school year for the kids in town and the Owens wanted to start the boys in pre-school. They decided to hold off on hiring tutors for charms and non-magical education and instead teaching charm themselves and letting the boys go to the pre-school in town. This way they could at least meet some children their age. They were still going to hire tutors after pre-school, but the boys needed to be around children. For right now they only wanted to get someone for about a half an hour, every other weekday to teach the boys etiquette. Since pre-school ended at 11:30 a.m. it should be okay.

Gilly had Kippy take a letter to Goldsworthy to see if he knew anyone that would teach Harry and Neville manners, but not be stuffy about it. Goldsworthy replied with an address and phone number of a half-blood wizard named, Luis F. Butterworth. The boys were only four, but if Mr. Butterworth could come to their home when the Kippy had them eating that would probably work out best. So they sent a letter to Goldsworthy to set up a meeting for noon today, which is when Kippy set the boys down for a nap.

At noon sharp there was a knock on the door and Gilly answered it. “Mr. Butterworth?” She said after she opened the door.

“Yes,” came the cultured reply from the rather normal sized man in a sharp business suit. He had neatly combed blond hair and blue eyes. “But you may call me Luis,” he said as he took her hand and kissed the knuckle.

Gilly giggled. “Sure, thanks. Come on in, we’re in the dining room. I’m Gilly,” she said and turned to lead the way, with perhaps a little wiggly in her jean clad hips.

“Pleasure,” Luis said following at a clipped pace, though his eyes did rove to those nice hips.

“These are my aunts Jet and Frances,” she said pointing to each aunt, who nodded their head to their names. “I’m not sure what the goblins told you, but we wanted to meet you because we are looking for tutors for our charges. They’re only four years old; they came to us right before they turned two. We don’t really believe in manners and etiquette, we’re kinda free spirits. However, the man, who asked us to take the boys in, said they needed to be taught —something about family obligation. He didn’t tell us much more than that. Just that it’s needed,” Gilly explained with a shrug as she sat at the table and gestured for him to do the same.

“I see, so you three lovely ladies don’t feel as if you can teach these young men what they may need to know for later in their lives?” Luis said putting his coat, neatly folded in half, on the back of his chair and kissing each aunt’s hand, before he sat down and placed his folded hands on the table.

“Yes, we know manners, but until we hired our servant we didn’t really use them and we don’t want the boys to use them all the time. She is very insistent that the boys eat at the same time every day and that they use proper forks and such,” Frances explained in fond exasperation. “We adore her and she is such a little dear. However, we will always be happy that it is her and not us that will keep the boys in line. Now that our nephews are older, we don’t want to repress their spirit. We’re still teaching them to think freely, but we do understand that the families they have left will want them to be on their best behavior when they need to be.”

“May I meet this servant to see what she has taught the boys already?” Luis inquired thinking to himself that this was going to be a challenge. Taming free spirited boys _without_ crushing that spirit will take some careful maneuvering.

“You’re a wizard, right? Gilly questioned, she didn’t want the man freaking out. “So you know about house elves? I mean, I know Goldsworthy told us that, but I didn’t want to shock you or anything.”

“Of course I know about house elves, but did you say you _hired_ her?” Luis asked with a gobsmacked look upon his normally stoic face. “I have never heard of such a thing.”

“Yes, we set her free when she was given to us and hired her right after. We think of the little dear as part of the family,” Frances cooed as Jet nodded in agreement. “Kippy, can you come here dear?”

‘Pop’

“What can Kippy be doing for Missy Witchy Frances?” Kippy said still dressed in her robe. The Owens women saw no need to have her dress in anything else.

“Kippy this is Mr. Butterworth.” Jet said pointing to Luis, who was staring at the robe clad house elf in utter astonishment. “We’re interviewing him to see if he can tutor Harry and Neville in manners. He would like to know what you have taught them so far.”

Kippy sighed, her shoulders slumped in disappointment. “Kippy is not teaching the young Masters much. She is mostly keeping Missy Witchys from teaching thems bad manners,” Kippy said with a slight glare at the women, who didn’t look ashamed at all, as matter of fact they were smiling at her in a fond way. “They is knowing when to eats and when to go to beds. They is still sneakying to get snacks from the Missy Witchys after Kippy is tellsing them nos. They is eating with forks and spoons and will sits at the tables. But they is wearing whatever they wants, Missy Witchys is telling them they can. Kippy puts out proper pants and shirts, but Kippy is fighting losing battle,” she sighed again.

This shocked the already flustered Luis even more, as he had never seen an elf show emotions such as anger to their owner, then he remember this was a free elf. He had also never seen ‘owners’ let a house elf talk like that. After pulling himself together Luis looked at the bizarre house elf and said, “Yes, ummm, well thank you, Kippy. I’m sure you have done your best. If I do teach the young masters will you be able to keep them from sliding too much? I think, from what the ladies say, we might want to reach a compromise. Let us say, have the young gentlemen only use their manners for lunch and dinner. The rest of the times let them eat as the rest of the family does. They can dress accordingly when it is required. If I understand this correctly, they only need know how and when to use these manners. You, of course, can make sure that they don’t fall into horrid manners and eat neatly every meal, without compromising the families way of life.”

Kippy sat and thought about it for a minute. “Yes, I’s understands why Missy Witchys is doing what they has always done. Kippy just wants whats best for the young Masters. Kippy is knowing young Master Nevilles family and they is being very strict. Kippy is only wanting to help,” she said a little distressed, wringing her hands. She well remembered the sharp tongued Madam Longbottom and had no desire to ever have her charges feel said tongue.

Jet got up, knelt down and gave Kippy a hug. “You’re doing a wonderful job,” she said when she sat back at the table still looking at Kippy. “The man, who brought the boys to us, said he wanted them to be both wild and proper. So why don’t we do as Luis says and compromise. We promise not to interfere with lunch and dinner, if you promise not to interfere with breakfast, snack and dessert. Would that work for you, you darling elf?” she asked in her gentlest voice, Kippy was quite prone to emotions still; it was in the house elves nature.

“Yes, Missy Witchy Jet, Kippy can be doing that. Kippy will tend the gardens and doings other housework at that time,” Kippy said nodding her head vigorously and turned to Luis. “Master Luis, Kippy will make sure the young Masters listens to yous. Kippy has to goes back to the young Masters, they is not sleeping yet,” And Kippy popped away.

“That is one very unusual house elf,” Luis said with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Isn’t she, we wouldn’t trade her for the world,” Gilly said with a big smile and a twinkle in her eye, that could rival Dumbledore’s. “So how would you like to work this? We wanted to have you come by for lunch and dinner every other weekday until you get table manners down. Then maybe come for a half an hour in the afternoon for the rest. I don’t know what else can be taught to them at this age, but you’re the expert. You can fill in your own timetable and let us know. We do have a contract for the boys, it’s a magically binding one so you can’t tell anyone who they are or where they are. They’re known in town as our nephews with the last name Owens,” She said putting a contract, which the goblins had a lawyer draw up, on the table in front of Luis. She had already filled out her part.

He took up the papers and wondered who these soon to be pupils were that they needed a non-disclosure contract. It seemed to be a standard magical contract with provisions that he could not tell the non-magical world either, technically he was swearing on his magic not to tell anyone. He pondered on this for about twenty minutes trying to decide if it was worth it. The money was very good and if he stayed on as the boys grew older it would be better. Plus, the goblins vouched for the witches, saying that they had been spoken highly of from a very powerful man. He decided that he would take the job, so he took out his pen and signed where indicated and pricking his finger he added a drop of blood next to his signature. There was a flash of blue light and the contract copied itself twice and the original one disappeared. Luis took up one of the copies, folded it and tucked it in his suit jacket.

“I can come to the house every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at noon and at six p.m. I would like it if Kippy can join us so she will know what is expected from the boys. Have her have the meals prepared, the boys dressed and I will take it from there. Now that the contract is filed, can you tell me who I will be working with, so I know just what needs to be taught? If they need to be taught basic or high society etiquette,” he asked wanting to make sure he had all the knowledge he needed for his new students. Etiquette had many branches after all; some casual, some very upper crust and stiff lipped.

“Oh, yeah, the boys’ names are Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. Don’t worry we have the paperwork stating that they’re here legally, signed by their guardians,” Gilly quickly stated, holding up her hands at his shocked face. “We’d like if you’d treat the boys as you would any other client.”

“Yes, well,” Luis said shaking off the shock. He knew there was a global search for these two young men, headed by non-other than Albus Dumbledore. He just realized what kind of conspiracy he had just signed on to. “I think that I will need to brush up on my British etiquette. Thank you for seeing me. Do not worry; I do not want to lose my magic by telling anyone who my clients are. Give me a day or two to think of the required teaching.” He got up and in a dazed, kissed the back of their hands on reflex. “I will see you lovely ladies next Monday around noon. I can see myself out,” he said as he gathered his coat and left in a hurry. He really needed to think about what had just happened.

“Well, that went better than I thought. I hope we aren’t teaching them to young,” Gilly said as she sat back down and watched the confused man leave, a concerned look in her eyes.

“Don’t worry dear, it’s only for a half an hour at a time so it should be okay,” Frances said patting Gilly’s hand.

“I know, I’m just worried that I’m doing the right things. Most of the books say that the pure-blood kids learn this from the time they can walk and talk. And you know there’s no way we could ever teach them.”

“Well, we’ll see what happens. No matter if he stays or not, the contract will make it so he can’t tell. Nifty that. So, shall we go and steal the boys from Kippy and go to town?” Jet said getting up and heading for the stairs.

“Aunt Jet, Kippy is going to yell at you again and maybe take away your chocolate,” Gilly said running after her.

“What’s life without a little fun, dear?” Jet laughed gaily, she so enjoyed annoying Kippy, who actually took it in good humor. “I can live without chocolate for a little while. I’m sure she will forgive me.”

“It’s your chocolate.”

 


	12. Chapter 12: Talking to Snakes

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one too.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**_October 19, 1984_ **

“Tum’ on ‘eville, I wants to see the snake again,” Harry said as he ran outside looking for the snake he had met yesterday. The snake had been complaining that it was too cold and was looking for a place to hole up for the winter. Neville had said he couldn’t understand the snake, but Harry wanted to ask the aunts if the snake could come into the house where it was warm. He just wanted to see if the snake wanted to first.

They had just changed their clothes from the lessons the aunts were making them take. The boys didn’t really understand why they had to dress funny two times a day. However, Mr. Luis and the aunts told them it was important.

“I’m tumming Harry, waits,” Neville said, running after Harry as fast as he little leg would carry him. They were trying to get outside before Kippy found them and made them come back in. She was such a meany-head sometimes, but they loved her.

The boys looked for the snake for about fifteen minutes before they gave up and went back into the house where it was warmer. Being like any other little boys, they hadn’t put their jackets on before they went out. They went into the living room where Aunt Frances was. She looked at the flushed cheeks and down faces and patted the couch next to where she sat. “Oh my little darlings, what has you so sad?” she said as she gave them both hugs after they clambered up next to her. The aunts never liked seeing the boys sad.

“We tan’t find the snake,” Harry said sadly as he cuddled into her side.

“Okay, sweetie, what snake? And why do you want to find him?” she questioned, if they wanted a snake she was all for it.

“I’s talking to a snake ‘esterday and it was ‘omplaining it was told. I wanteds to ask it if it wanteds lives with me, but it’s gone and wes tant find it,” Harry said looking really put out, with is lower lip sticking out, little tears glistening in his emerald eyes. He was quite upset about the snake being gone. Talking to it, when Neville couldn’t, made him feel special. Like his brother did when he could do school work that Harry couldn’t. Not that Harry as a stupid child, he just didn’t like studying, Neville was really good at his ABC’s. Harry was getting better though.

“You were talking to a snake? Oh my darling boy, I’m so sorry your friend had to leave, however you know, honey, it is time for all snakes to go to sleep for the winter,” Frances explained, as she pet Harry’s hair. She didn’t know what to think, she hadn’t read anything about wizards talking to snakes. Maybe she would ask Luis when he came for the boys lessons tonight.

“Ummmhmm,” Harry said nodding his head, “’eville said he tan’t hear what the snake said. But I hearded it I really, really did.”

Neville was cuddling up on her other side, not really paying attention. He was looking at the knick-knacks on the shelves wondering if he could play with them. They were too high up for him to reach; maybe he could float them down like the games they played in the playroom. Then he remembered Kippy said he can’t play those games in this room and with a disappointed sigh, he cuddled deeper into Frances’ side.

“Oh honey, I believe you,” Frances said to Harry, drew both boys closer. “We’ll just have to see why you can talk to snakes. Maybe, we’ll see if we can’t get you one as a pet, not a wild one, but one from the pet store. I’ll ask Kippy to see if the Alley has any in their shops and hopefully we can get a magical one for you,” She said excitedly, thinking about where they could put a snake without keeping it in a tiny container, but away from their many cats. “we should see if we can’t find something for Neville too.” That perked Neville up.

“Otay Auntie ‘rances, tan we go play now?” Harry said happy that he might get a pet snake he could talk to.

“Of course, my darling boy, just let Kippy or us know where you are,” Frances smiled at the now content boys as they scrambled off the couch and ran to find Kippy. Kippy would tend to them, she was a very good house elf and she worshipped the boys. She also gave really good advice on what the boys would need to know for when they returned to England. Frances sighed; the Owens women weren’t looking forward to that. However, they had plenty of time to prepare, after all Jim said the boys won’t be returning until they were fourteen.

As the boys were running out of the living room, they almost ran over Gilly. “Whoa, where are you two running off to?” she asked with a laugh as she grabbed the two boys in a hug.

“We’re gonna play with Kippy. Aunt ‘rances says we tan get me a snake and ‘aybe a pets for ‘eville,” Harry said through his giggles.

“’eah a pets,” said Neville, as he tried to squirm out of Gilly’s hug. “‘ant to play with Kippy.”

“A snake huh?” she glanced at her aunt’s thoughtful face before she turned back to the boys. “Well, I’ll talk to Aunt Frances and see why. Kippy is in the laundry room, why don’t you go and see if she will play with you in the play room? Remember to pick your toys up or Kippy won’t let you have dessert,” Gilly said as she let the boys go and watched the run off. She turned to her aunt with a raised eyebrow, a questioning look on her face. “A snake? As in a scaly reptile, no arm, no legs, slithers around and hisses at everything? Any reason for that? Or was it just random?” she asked as she settled next to her aunt.

“Yes dear, a snake,” Frances confirmed absentmindedly. “Harry came in here upset that he couldn’t find the snake he was talking to yesterday and I told him we’d talk about getting him one from the pet shop in the Alley. I was thinking we could corner of part of the herb room and make a terrarium for it. That way Harry can talk to it, it would be comfortable and the cats won’t try to eat it,” she explained as she pat Gilly’s hand distractedly, still thinking about how they would rearrange the herb room. It had gotten pretty full with all the stuff Kippy had bought and they had set up a wizarding potions lab in there. Maybe if they got more cabinets like the ones in the catalogs from the Alley they could set it up better.

“Um, Aunt Frances are you even listening to me?” Gilly asked as she poked her aunt in the arm to get her attention. “Did you say Harry could talk to a snake?”

“Yes dear, he can talk to snakes,” She said, turning her attention to her niece. “I figured, we could ask Luis about it when he gets here tonight. I’m sure it is nothing to worry about.” She waved her hand airily. She truly couldn’t see that it was something to worry about.

“Okay, we’ll talk to him. I’m going to go and see if there is anything in the books we bought,” Gilly said. She, on the other hand, was pretty sure that talking to snake wasn’t normal even in the wizarding world and she wanted to make sure that Harry wouldn’t be pick on for this. If they needed to keep it a secret they needed to word it correctly so Harry didn’t think he was a freak. She got up and started out of the room to begin her quest. “I’ll see if I can’t find Aunt Jet and let her know we need to talk to Luis tonight.”

“Okay dear, I’ll see you then.”

Gilly had spent most of the day researching, not finding much, only a few notes in the history books about how Voldemort and Salazar Slytherin and a few other, were something called _parselmouths_. That didn’t paint a really good picture to her as they were most were known as dark wizards. She could only find one reference about a _parselmouth_ that was a healer and not a dark lord; it was that person who coined the phrase, _parselmouth_.

The aunts spent the rest of the day looking at the herb room to see if they could change it around. They were thinking of asking Luis to show them how to expand it so everything would fit in that cluttered room. Though they had gotten pretty good with meshing the magic, there were somethings beyond their scope of experience. All they needed was someone to show them how it was done with a wand and they copied it in their minds.

That evening, 6 p.m. came and Luis knocked on the door. “Hey, Luis, come on in. We were wondering if, after the boys were done with their lesson, you could talk with us about something, it’s kinda important,” Gilly said as she opened the door and ushered Luis in.

Luis hung up his coat and turned to her. “I will be more than happy to talk to you lovely ladies. Let me go and see if I can put some manners into your boys and we can talk when I am done,” he said bowing. He then turned towards the dining room where he could see the boys trying to sit straight in their chairs and in their proper clothes, waiting for him. The food was already on the table and everything was set up perfect.

“Okay, yeah sure, we’ll see you then,” she said to his back and with an amused shake of her head she turned to go to the living room. “We’ll join you in the dining room for dessert at 6:30,” she called to him. He just waved in acknowledgement and closed the newly added dining room door. Gilly went to join her aunts. The Owens women didn’t eat with the boys during lunch or dinner; they took their meal in the living room. They had all decided it would interfere with the lessons and only took breakfast with them.

At 6:30 p.m. exactly the women went and joined the others in the dining room. There were a few desserts on the table and the boys had pieces of cake in front of the. They looked so adorable as they tried not to make a mess.

Luis was sitting at the table, across from the boys, drinking a cup of tea and smiling at how well behaved his students were. The lessons were going well, the children picked up things rather quickly. Although, there were a few times they threw fits when they had to sit still for too long. On the other hand, they were overcoming that.

Everyone sat down and claimed the dessert and drinks they wanted. “What can you tell us about snake talkers, I think Gilly said it was called _parseltounge_?” Jet asked taking a sip from her glass of fruit juice.

Luis’ head snapped up in shock. The cup, he had been holding, dropped to the table with a clatter. He waved his wand and cleaned up the mess, without even thinking about it. “Why, on earth, do you want to know about _parselmouths_?” he asked as he glanced to each woman face, trying to figure out why they wanted to know by their expressions. He saw that they were only curious, though now signs of fright were showing.

“Harry came to me earlier upset that he couldn’t find the snake he was talking to yesterday. So we looked it up and couldn’t really find anything except a few names in the history books,” Frances explained, a little concerned at his reaction.

Harry and Neville continued eating their cake, they had been good students tonight and Luis said they deserved it. They weren’t about to be distracted by silly adults.

Luis jerked his head around and stared at Harry wide-eyed that was not anything he expected. He had hoped that they had just come across the term in their studies. Luis took a few deep breaths to calm down. He knew these boys and he knew they weren’t evil. After he relaxed a little he turned towards the women and saw how worried they seem to be. He tried to smile to relieve them of that worry. “I terribly sorry for my reaction. _Parselmouths_ don’t have a good reputation. It is said that it is a form of dark magic and that anyone to can speak to snakes is a dark wizard. However, I know Harry and I know he is a good boy. It just took me a moment to see logically. I am sorry I frightened you,” he explained, hoping to calm everyone’s nerves.

Luis looked at the boys and saw they weren’t really paying attention to the adults and that was a load off his mind. He smiled and said, “They are good boys and a delight to work with,” he turned back to the women. “I suggest you ask the goblins, I know from what we’ve talked about before you are in good standing with them. They might be able to give you an unbiased opinion that you will not find in the wizarding society. I will tell you this,” he punctuated with a tapping of his finger on the table in front of him, the hollow noise carried in the now quiet dinning room, “if you want Harry to continue to talk to snakes make sure that he doesn’t tell _anyone_ he doesn’t trust. Harry is quite a hero in Britain and if they found out, he _will_ be labeled a dark lord. They will not listen to reason about something that has been used against them too many times in their history.”

“Yeah, we kinda got that for your reaction. I really don’t want Harry to have to hide anything he can do, however, I understand what you’re saying. We,” Gilly said pointing to herself and her aunts, “have never hidden anything, well maybe a little. But, the whole town knows we’re witches so I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around something that must be hidden.”

Frances reached over and patted Gilly on the hand. “Don’t worry dear, we’ll handle this just like we handle everything. Besides children love to keep secrets, we might have to worry when he gets older and started to feel guilty about it, but we’ll talk to him then and make sure he understands.”

“Yes, Gilly-bean, we’ll stand by Harry no matter what is said about him. Remember, Sally had a hard time with the gossips before she came out. We don’t want Harry to have to suffer that,” Jet said giving her nervous niece a one armed hug.

Kippy popped in, “It is being time for the Little Masters to be getting their baths and readys for beds.”

“Kippy, we have to talk to Luis. Do you think you can give the boys a bath tonight?” Jet asked to the little elf.

“Kippy can dos. If yous can bring the Little Masters upstairs, Kippy can be giving them their baths. Yous will have to come soon if yous wants to tell them beddy-bye stories.”

“I’ll get them,” Jet said then got up and took the boys from the table . She wrestled the squirming bundles up the stairs while Kippy cleaned up the desserts. The little elf left the dishes in the sink for one of the witches to tend to.

Luis, Frances and Gilly went into the living room and made small talk until Jet could join them. After about five minutes Jet came into the room and joined Frances on one of the couches. She turned to the tutor —their only human source of information. “Luis, we were wondering if you could help us expand our herb room. We tried to do it ourselves, but couldn’t get the incantation right. So we figured if we watch you and get a feel for your magic. Then we can copy it,” she said veering away from the _parselmouth_ subject for now.

Luis sat in one of the chairs next to the couches. “I will take a look and see. I need to know why you want it expanded so I know where to direct it to,” he said, letting her change the topic to something not quite so volatile.

“We want to buy Harry a snake or two. Needless to say, we need somewhere it can be safe. We figured the herb room would be the best area,” Frances explained with a thoughtful look. “I don’t think we want to suppress Harry’s ability. We’ll contact the goblins like you said and maybe they can give us a different view, or point us to where we can read about this and develop it. I know I’d be tickled pink if I could talk to an animal.”

“I see,” he said thoughtfully, as he tapped his chin with his finger. “I can tell that you are going to help Harry in any way you can. I will not discourage you from this path. I will only reiterate my warning about how others will see him,” he said with a stern look and then softened his features. “Let’s go into the herb room and you can tell me what you need and I will help you achieve it.” And with that everyone got up and ventured in the herb room.

“As you can see we have two different kinds of potion making going on. Jet and myself were looking over this set up and decided that our potions would go on the right wall, while the wizard potions on the left. We can split the table here in the middle for each. The wall on the opposite side of the door is where we would like to set up a large terrarium for the snakes. We can have it enclosed in glass and have a heating lamp, or spell, to keep it warm. It will get plenty of sunlight as the wall faces the east,” Frances described, as she pointed and gestured to the things they wanted to change. “We’re hoping you could slowly show us how to do it. We’re pretty sure if we see and feel your magic we can do it ourselves next time we need more room.”

Luis, who had been following along, looked around the room to see just what he could help with. He was pretty good a transfiguration and had a few ideas. “Well if you want your wizarding potion ingredients to keep longer, you need to keep them covered. I can turn some of these open shelves into cabinets with doors. They should last a few years before they convert back. That should give you plenty of time to get new ones. When you do either I or you can banish the shelves to the attic. I need everyone to help me move the stuff off the shelves to do this. Let me expand the table a little bit to give us more room,” he said as he took his wand out and expanded the table only a few feet, as there wasn’t much leeway in the cramped room.

The women started to make little gestures and floated the things from the shelves he indicated and put them on the table. Luis had seen the women do this before and wasn’t surprised; he had even tried to do some wandless magic at his home. He started transfiguring the shelves into cabinets and making the other shelves a little more organized. He also showed the women how to expand the room without affecting the outside of the house.

After about fifteen minutes Jet left to tuck the boy’s in. The other two women promised to show her what they learned either tonight or in the morning.

It took about an hour to get everything done and the terrarium set up. Luis showed them the spells slowly and Frances was able to wandless cast a transfiguration on one of the shelves. After Luis showed her how, Gilly was able to cast a sunlight spell on the tank and she felt pretty good about herself.

The Owens women tried to pay for his time. However, Luis turned them down saying he was happy to help. With a bow and a promise to not tell anyone about Harry, he took his leave for the night. They were just happy he didn’t freak out and run from the house after his initial reaction.

The Owens women looked around their new herb room and decided that it was a job well done and went to bed happy.

 

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: Just an FYI, found on Harry Potter wiki:**

**Phillipus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim[2] (1493—1541), more commonly known as Paracelsus, was a secretive alchemist about whom very little is known. He also contributed to the field of medicine, having been a notable physician. [3] Paracelsus's bold theories challenged medieval thought. Paracelsus was credited with the discovery of Parseltongue.**


	13. Chapter 13: Making Friends

**This chapter introduces and OC that will be the boys best friend. Thanks for the reviews and favorites, they make happy. Flying solo yet again, no beta. Not much changed in this one. I guess I got better as I went along.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**hppmhppm**

**_June 14, 1986_ **

The Owens women and their nephews were strolling through town as they normally do on Saturday’s. The boys were running ahead of the women and having a good time playing tag. The women were keeping an eye on them, but let them run ahead anyway. They were never ones to curb children’s fun.

“Aunt Gilly,” Harry said as he turn back to the Aunts, causing him to run backwards, “we’re gonna race to the park okay? We’ll meet you there. Neville wants to see if they’ve fixed the swing.”

“Okay,” Gilly called back, “but, wait for us there, okay?” She would have never believed she would be this much of a responsible adult seven years ago, but now she wouldn’t have it any other way. Since the boys had come to them, her whole life had changed. While she can’t say she didn’t miss partying, she still had fun learning all the magic. She watched the boys get further away and smiled. They were such good boys. A little rambunctious but then again, boys will be.

She smiled at her two wards, Harry was still a little on the short side but they were confident that he would get a growth spurt when he was older, until then though he was picked on quite a bit, one for being weird (according to the town bullies) and two for being short. It was a good thing they taught the boys to stand up for themselves. He looked like the pictures they had of his dad, with his mother’s emerald eyes. Neville looked more like his mom, taller than Harry by a good three inches, with dirty blonde hair and grey eyes, which looked to be a family trait if the pictures were anything to go by.

The Owen women were very thankful for Jim bringing all the boys’ families’ items and pictures. There were even a few journals, that helped explain a lot to them and the boys didn’t feel cut off or abandoned by the people back in England. They also explained the war and how it started, though they had to rely on the newspapers on how it ended, which everyone in the Owen house took with a grain of salt. She was brought out of her musing but Neville’s yell.

“Come on Harry,” Neville said already running, “I’ll race ya.”

“Hey,” Harry said sprinting to catch up, “No fair, cheater. You were supposed to wait ‘till I told Aunt Gilly where we’d be going.”

“I’m not a cheater. You’re just slow.”

The boys had turned the corner and suddenly stopped. They heard a young boy crying and after looking for an adult and not seeing one they followed the noise. They came across a scene where there were three boys, about a few years older, were picking on a boy their age. The younger boy was crouched against the wall trying to protect his head. It was hard to tell from where he was cowering but he looked to be Harry’s height and had brown hair. They could hear the taunts coming from the older boys.

Older boy number one was saying, “Go away weirdo, we have enough freaks in this town we don’t need a weirdo like you.” And he picked up a rock and threw it at the poor boy.

Harry and Neville were infuriated. “Hey dummy-heads, what do you think you’re doing?” Harry yelled, getting between the bullies and the boy on the wall.

“Oh, look it’s the Owen freaks. What are ya going to do sic your witches on us?” Bully number two sneered.

“Um, no I don’t have to sic anyone on you to hurt you or make you look stupid. You’re doing fine on your own,” Neville said, standing next to Harry with his arms crossed. They had run into these bullies before, they were some of the people that always insulted and threw things at them when they visited the library and park and stuff. The aunts always said never let them hurt you, but other than that, ignored them. Well this time it wasn’t about them, it was about someone else and they were going to stand up for the boy. Speaking of the boy, he now got up and was standing next to the two that rescued him, braver now that he had back up.

“I don’t know who you are, but thanks. Now that you’re here, we can stand together. My name is, Jordan,” The brunette boys said without taking his deep brown eyes off the bullies. They were correct; he stood just as tall as Harry which meant he was rather short too.

“Well, let’s take care of these idiots first, and then you can come with us to the park and wait for the aunts,” Harry said, at the mention of the aunts the bullies started looking fearfully around. They may not like the Owens, but they weren’t about to mess with those women. “Let’s see what we should do to these morons, Neville?” he asked a malicious gleam in his killer green eyes. He really hated bullies, he was very thankful Jim had brought Neville into his life, though maybe not the reasons, but the fact that he keep them together was appreciated. “Do you remember what Kylie and Tony said they did when they were attacked by bullies? I was thinking something along those lines, but more of a charm than a curse. I think the one we were working on last month should do,” he said, confusing the new kid.

Neville shook his head, “No, Harry, not that one. How about the one that makes them laugh every time they try and bully someone one? Aunt Gilly taught us that one last week, I think we got it working now. That way everyone will think they’re the weirdos. Plus, we can use that charm so they get confused and can’t tell anyone why.”

“Oh, good one,” Harry said, still facing the bullies. “The laughing one first then the confusion, Okay? On three… One…. Two…. Three,” both boys pointed their fingers at the tormenters and incanted in quiet voice. “When you bully you will laugh, when you tell you will be confused.” The bullies had tried to run but it was no use. This was directed at them and it would not miss —the magic the aunts taught them was wide spread like light and would only affect the person or object it was intended for. After the older boys were gone Harry turned to the new kid. “Hey, Jordan, my name is Harry and this is Neville. Are you new around here?” he asked holding out his hand.

“We’re just visiting for the day, we moved into Harwich, it’s a few towns away. What did you do to those guys? And why are you allowed to practice magic in front of muggles? My mum said that I’d get in trouble if I did that. Where are your wands?” the poor confused Jordan questioned with a very slight British accent. He took Harry’s hand and shook it, then turned to Neville to do the same.

“We should probably find your family and then you can meet ours and we can talk about it,” Neville said grabbing both boys by the arm and leading them to out of the alley. “Or we could find the Aunts and have them help us find your family. They should be looking for us near the park anyway. And we know where they are.”

Harry sighed, “Yeah you’re right. Let’s go,” He said pulling his arm out of Neville’s grip. “Come on Jordan the park is this way.” He headed to the park with the other two tagging behind.

“There they are,” Neville said pointing at his aunts. It was kinda hard to miss them. They were the only ones with parasols and hats, well except Gilly but she looked like she would be more comfortable on the front page of a teen magazine than standing at by a tree at the park. Their Aunt Gilly maybe old, well by a kids standards, but she was still very pretty and in good shape and she loved to show it.

Gilly was looking around a little worried, she didn’t see the boys anywhere. The aunts didn’t seem to be concerned; they knew the boys could take care of themselves.

“Aunt Gilly, we’re over here,” Harry called to the youngest aunt.

The Owens women turned to the voice and noticed a rather dirty scuffed up boy between their nephews. “Who’s this?” Frances asked as they came closer.

“Aunt France, Aunt Jet, Aunt Gilly this is Jordan. We saved him from those stupid bullies,” Harry said as he pointed to each aunt in introduction.

“Oh you poor dear,” Aunt Jet said stooping down to take a look at the new young boy. “Let me take a look. Those nasty boys are nothing but trouble. I wish sometimes I could just curse them.” She noticed the smug look on her nephew’s faces and decided to wait until later to ask. “Let’s see, there doesn’t seem to be anything harmful. Just a few cuts and scrapes, a little bit of mugwart will clear that right up. Do you hurt anywhere else, sweetie? Oh don’t worry, dear, I’ve patched a few children up in my time. Do you know where your parents are?” she asked as she turned the boy’s head both ways to get a better look.

“Naw, I’m fine,” Jordan said patiently as Jet looked him over. “We got separated near the donut shop. Mum wanted to get a donut for Maisie, my little sister, and I asked if I could stand outside and wait for them. There were some pretty cool people walking by and I wanted to watch them. I do that, watch people,” he explained, deep brown eyes sparkling with excitement, it was his favorite hobby. “We don’t get out with Muggles very much. We just moved to Harwich from Salem, but we lived near SunSpot Alley so we did all our shopping there. I shouldn’t a wandered, but I got curious,” he said sheepishly. “Then those boys started in on me about being new and I got mad and one of them flipped over backwards without me touching him. So I musta done some magic or something. Mum told me that might happen soon. I’m not supposta talk about it, but since these guys know, I figured you did too,” he concluded.

“Well don’t you worry your pretty little head; we’ll find your folks,” Frances said mussing up his hair as Jet finished checking him over. “Let’s go get some donuts ladies and gents and maybe we can invite some new friends to tea. Kippy will be sure to have something ready for company.”

They wandered to the donut shop saying hello to everyone who they approached. Well Jet and Gilly did, in oh so different ways. Jet was telling the boys, who was who and what they had done. She left the love lives out for now because she didn’t want the new boy thinking he was in a bad place.

Gilly was waving and winking the men and waving with a smirk to the women. She may have felt more mature, but she still enjoyed making people squirm.

Frances was just leading the boys; she had long given up making those two behave. Harry and Neville loved the antics of the two outgoing aunts. They made visiting the town so much fun. Some of the people waved and laughed with them, so it wasn’t all bad.

They spotted a family of three looking around in near panic. The woman was on the smaller side with waist long blonde hair, that she wore loosely, and sky blue eyes. The man was average height with neatly trimmed brown hair and brown eyes. You could tell that Jordan took after his dad, while the little girl looked just like her mother.

“Mum,” Jordan called as he ran to the woman, “you will never guess who I met?”

“Jordan, Oh Merlin, I was so afraid. Why did you run off? What if we never found you?” the woman said hugging the boy and then holding him at arm’s length to get a good look at him. “What happened to you? How did you get so dirty and scrapped up?”

“I’m fine, mum,” Jordan said and then told her what happened; with much arm waving and some foot stomps.

During his story the Owens’ caught up to the little family and patiently listen to the recap. When Jordan got to the part about meet Harry and Neville, he pointed to them. The aunts noticed the look of recognition in the adults’ eyes and were put immediately on edge, tugging their nephews towards them to keep them from harm, eyes narrowing in warning. They had never forgotten Deaths warning about people wanting to use or harm the boys.

The man and wife saw the reaction and smiled giving a comforting shake of their head and turned back to Jordan to listen to the rest of his tale.

“… then Harry and Neville took me to their aunts,” Jordan finished off.

The man stepped forward and held out his hand, “Well, I’m Finley Hilton, this is my wife Evie and this is our daughter Masie and you’ve already meet Jordan.”

Gilly took his hand and shook it, “I’m Gilly Owens, the boy’s _legal_ guardian. These are my aunts Jet and Frances, and these two little rascals are our nephews Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom.” Shocking the boys, they were never introduced with their real names. They crept closer to the aunts, something must be different about this family if Gilly felt the need to stress that they were there legally.

“Cor, are you really? You didn’t tell me that,” Jordon said wide-eyed, looking at Harry’s forehead and spotting the scar he didn’t notice before. Harry usually wore his hair so it covered the scar, but with hair as messy as his it was hard to keep it there.

Harry rolled his eyes it had happened a few times in the Alley when he lost his hat or something. They were able to make the person forget they ever saw Harry Potter. It was one of the first major charms Gilly every mastered. “Yeah, well I don’t usually give my last name in such informal setting. I go by Owens usually.”

Neville punched Harry in the arm playfully, “Don’t ever let Luis hear you say that.”

“What,” Harry said shoving his cousin back, “he said I only have to give my name in formal setting. This,” he said waving his hand around, “so not a formal setting.” Shoving Neville again.

“While I do so love to see you boys play, I think we need to invite the Hiltons for tea so we can talk about you. While we’re saying mean things about you charming boys, you can show the kids your play room,” Gilly said as she wrestled the boys so she had one under each arm and tried to bonk their heads together. Instead of growing calmer like Sally, she grew more playful. She was still maturing but felt that the kids needed an example of a free spirit that still knew responsibility. So there never went a day that she and the boys didn’t play with one another. They were very active. Then there were lessons on magic and the consequences of using it incorrectly.

“Get off Aunt Gilly, or I’m gonna tell Kippy on you and she’ll make you eat porridge for the rest of the weekend,” Neville playfully demanded, as he tried to get out from under Gilly’s arms.

“Yeah, and I’ll make sure she doesn’t give you any dessert,” came Harry’s reply as he too was trying to jostle his playful aunt off.

“Oh threaten me with Kippy will you. I’ll have you know, you rotten little brats, that Kippy loves me more than she loves you,” She mock growled, not giving the boys an inch.

The rest of the Aunts looked on with indulging smiles and Hiltons looked confused as to who Kippy was. It sounded like the name a house elf, but only magicals had those and these women didn’t seem to be carrying a wand.

“Does not, she like me best,” scoffed Neville.

“Nuh uh, she like me best,” was Harry’s return.

“No way, boys, it’s me,” Gilly said in a victorious voice.

Jet turned to the family of four, “While our children play how about I invite you to tea. I think we have much to talk about.”

The two adult Hiltons looked at each other and then back at Jet, “We’d be delighted,” Finley said, as he put his elbow out for his wife and took his daughters hand.

“Most wonderful, if you will follow me, we can lead you there,” Frances said. Then she turned to the still playing ‘kids’ and said, “Come along, we’re going to tea.” She took Jet’s elbow and started down the road sure that everyone would follow.

The three combatants stopped their shoving and as she started to run Gilly said, “Race ya.”

“No fair,” came two young voices.

“Come on, Jordan, or she is gonna to win,” Harry yelled as he took off running after his much faster aunt. They ran through the town, laughing along the way. Soon the four racers were pulling into the Owens yard and stopped to wait for the walkers, breathing kinda heavy, Jordon more so as he wasn’t use to running like that.

“Whew, you guys are getting pretty fast. You almost beat me,” Gilly said as she plopped to the ground. The three tired boys joined her, the two nephew beaming, they had almost beaten her. “Neville, why don’t you go ahead and let Kippy know we’re expecting company for tea.”

“Okay Aunt Gilly. American or British tea?” Neville said. as he was getting up from the ground. Luis made sure they knew both in case they ever were invited somewhere important, they’d know what to expect.

American’s served iced tea with pretty much the same spread as the British, however with more light sandwiches, cucumber and such, and less sweets. British teas were served hot and had more sweets, what they called cakes and biscuits. **

“American for now, I’m pretty sure they’re British so let’s give them something new.”

“Okay,” He said and he jogged off, you could hear him as he entered the house “Kipppppyyyyyy, we need some American tea. We’re having company, it’s two…” his voice trailing off as he went further into the house.

Gilly just shook her head and smiled as she waited for the rest of their group. This was going to be a long afternoon.

 

 

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**AN: ** I made difference between teas up for the American Wizarding World because there are still snobs everywhere and Americans so love thumbing their noses at the British, at least Wizards.**

 


	14. Chapter 14: Tea with the Hiltons

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one too.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

The aunts and the Hiltons soon joined the racers. Everyone got off the ground, dusted themselves off and started towards the house.

“You have a lovely house, I’ve not seen one like this since we left England,” Evie said looking at the large elegant house, with a hint of remorse in her blue eyes. She took in the neat and trim lawn and gardens with their gravel pathways. It brought small tears to her eyes as it all reminded her of the home she had fled from.

“Thank you; it’s been our family a very long time,” Frances said, leading the way into the front hall.

Gilly grabbed her nephews, again, and said, “Why don’t you take Jordan and Maisie to the play room? Don’t worry we’re not going to talk bad about you guys. We just think the Hiltons could use some advice about how we do magic. And maybe an explanation on how you two got here.”

“Okay, Aunt Gilly,” Neville said, he turned to the two new kids. “You’re going to love this. We’ve been working on it for a year. You won’t see anything like it in SunSpot.” He started up the winding stairs that circled around the center of the four story house.

The play room had been moved to the attic a year before, after the nephews could confidently climb the stairs by themselves. Not that they needed to, what with it being warded the way it was to prevent falling. But that’s the way it played out.

“Yeah, it’s great. You’ll have loads of fun,” Harry said grabbing Jordan by the elbow. Jordan grabbed his sister’s hand and followed Neville up the stairs.

The Aunts led the adults into the living room where a table was set up for tea. Jet gestured to the chairs inviting everyone to sit. There were tall glasses of what looked like iced herbal tea, a tray of little triangle sandwiches and some small cakes.

“Please sit, enjoy some of Kippy’s wonderful tea. She gets the herbs from our garden, the lovely dear,” Jet said taking up a glass and sighing with delight after sipping the delicious tea.

Everyone enjoyed the tea while making small talk. Once they were all relaxed, Gilly brought up the subject of Harry. “I noticed that you guys recognized Harry. I want to tell you right now,” she emphasized with a narrowing of her eyes, and looking at them directly, “that I can and will erase that you ever saw us. But,” she held her hands and relaxed her expression when the new couple gasped, “I only do that when I have no choice. I’d like the boys to have another wizard friend before they go to Salem Magical Institute.”

“Jordan will be going there as well. And you’re right it would be nice for him to have friends,” Evie looked at her husband; he gave a nod of his head. “Harry and Neville have been reported as kidnapped in England. I’d like to know how they came to be with you. No,” she said hurriedly seeing the look on the aunts faces, their eyes narrowing with warning, “I don’t think you kidnapped them, I mean how could you? As far as I can tell you have no connection to England. I just want to know to ease my mind.”

“It all started…,” Jet proceeded to tell them about how Death came to them and how they were still in contact with the boys other guardians. The other Owens women adding their bits here and there, while the Hiltons drank their tea, nibbled on the snacks and listened. It was quite shocking to think that Death could roam the earth like that, but they eventually believed the witches story.

“You should know,” Evie said a little sheepishly, as if about to part with a secret, “that I knew, we’d run into you eventually. I’m a seer. We ran from England, because I saw You-Know-Who come back. I got scared; the last war saw me with no family left. I know Jordan will go back with your nephews. That’s all I know,” She got a very gloomy look on her face, tears started pouring down. “I’m so worried. I _see_ a fight between the Dark Lord and Harry, but I don’t _see_ who else is fighting. Just lots of spell fire. I don’t _see_ who wins or even if anyone does. I’m so sorry, I can’t give you more. Remember the future is always changing.” She felt her concern was genuine; a lot of people blame seers for not _seeing_ more than they could. It had happened to her many times in the past, which is why she usually kept it a secret.

Frances got up and sat on the arm of the crying woman chair and gave her a one armed hug, while Evie’s husband held her hand. “Shhh, don’t worry dear, we won’t blame you. We understand that seers only _see_ so much,” she consoled.

Evie’s tears slowed and she nodded her head that she was okay, Frances retook her seat. “Thanks for that, you would be surprised at how many people condemn seers,” she explained, shaking her head at that thought. “Anyway, that’s all I know, for now. If anything changes then I will make sure you know right away.”

The Owens woman shared a look and shrugged as one, they already knew all this. “Okay,” Jet said as she turned to face the Hiltons, “well, we have magical and non-magical tutors set up for the boys. If you want we can include Jordan in that. We also have an etiquette tutor who comes three times a week, if you’re interested in that as well. This way we —and the children— can all get to know each other.”

“Is Maisie magical too?” Gilly asked.

Finley shook his head sadly, “No, she takes after me. I’m a squib. It’s been pretty hard on her.”

Jet waved her hand dismissively. “Well, we’ll just have to make her feel welcome,” she said encouragingly. “She can join the non-magical tutors. Plus there is some Wiccan ways that we can teach her. Nothing big just some simple things that we have in our family Book,” she explained to the hopeful looking couple. “That way she doesn’t feel left out. I am sure that Kippy will be more than happy to play with her while the boys study magic.”

Gilly got a mischievous look in her eye. “Don’t you think you should ask her first? Kippy, can you come here a minute, please?” she called.

The little elf popped in still wearing her robes. “What can Kippy be doing for Missy Witchy Gilly?” Kippy asked in her squeaky little voice.

“Kippy,” Gilly sighed in exasperation, “how many times to I have to tell you call me Gilly? You’re a free elf. You can call people whatever you like.”

“Then Kippy is calling yous what she wants,” the little elf stomped her foot, a mock glare on her face.

“Okay, okay, sheesh,” Gilly said holding her hands in surrender. “These are the Hiltons. Their kids are upstairs; you might want to take them some snacks soon. Aunt Jet was offering your service to babysit the little girl Maisie while the boys learn magic. I thought maybe you’d want to be asked first.”

Kippy looked at the Owens, “Kippy is already knowing, she is already looked in on the young Masters and little Miss,” She turned the Hiltons, “Wills you be willing to pay Kippy to watch Missy Maisie? How old is Missy Maisie being?” the proud free elf questioned, as the Owens women looked on smiling. Kippy had come so far in her independence since she first came to them.

During this whole conversation the Hiltons were looking gobsmacked. Though Finley was a squib, he knew about house elves and he never heard of a free one that wanted to get paid. They looked at each other then back to the elf, “Ummm sorry, Kippy was it… did you just ask for pay?” he stuttered.

Kippy nodded her head. “Yes sir, Mr. Hilton, sir. Kippy is a free elf and Kippy is wanting pay for her services. Missy Witchys is teaching Kippy hows to be a free elf. They is saying that all servants is being getting paid. They is telling Kippy that until she is bonded again, if ever, Kippy should demand pay for anything anyone ask,” she said firmly then discreetly looked to the aunts to make sure she was doing what they suggested correctly and noticed them beaming at her. She stood up straighter and looked back to the Hiltons.

“Okay,” Evie said, still looking a little confused, “and how much would you liked to be paid if you watch Maisie? She is four to answer your other question.”

Now it was Kippy’s turn to look confused, she had no idea how much babysitters, for a four year old, got paid. She turned to the Owens women for help.

“Well, let’s see,” Jet said thoughtfully as she tapped her chin, “Kippy gets paid a galleon a week for the housework and cooking. So babysitting one four year old should be at least five sickles each sitting.” The other two Owens women nodded, that sounded about right.

“Okay, Kippy,” Finley said decisively holding out his hand to the little elf, “if you watch Maisie when the boys are learning then we’ll pay that amount. Shake on it?”

Kippy shook both of the Hilton’s hands and sealed the deal. “Kippy is going to make sure the childrens is not getting into troubles. Kippy will be bringing them snacks.” And with that she popped out of the room.

“I would love to hear the story about how you obtained a free house elf,” Evie said looking back to the Owens.

“Well, it started when Madam Longbottom…” Gilly proceeded to tell the Hiltons how they came to hire Kippy. When the story was done she looked to Evie and said, “We don’t do magic like you do. We don’t require a wand and if you want, you can come when the children do and we’ll show you how to do things our way. We’re already teaching the boys magical tutors so it won’t be any trouble if you want to join. But, I have to warn you,” she cautioned, “that one of the tutors is a government agent. We have an agreement with them. We don’t have to vow to the Statute of Secrecy or the ICW, and they won’t arrest our family for doing magic. Unless we kill, try to take over the United States Government or try and bring back the dead,” not that she was ever going to do that again. “It’s how we make a living after all. In return we teach her our magic, she then teaches the government. Her name is, Claire T. Mumford, she actually stays here at the house. She’s at work right now. Since she does the teaching for the boys during the week, she goes to the office on the weekends. She’s a pretty neat lady. I just wanted to let you know she was here. ”

Once more the Hiltons were floored. It was too many changes in their view of the world at once. “Okay,” Evie said tentatively, “I would be happy to learn your way. Finley works so he won’t be able to join us very often. I have nothing to hide from the government, we’re here legally.”

The adults went to set up schedule and travel arrangements for the Hiltons to join them. Gilly offered to come and get them as she had discovered a new way to travel. It was a lot like _Apparition_ , but smoother. Soon everything was worked out.

**_In the play room with the kids._ **

The children made it up the long winding stairs with little fuss. “Come on, guys,” Neville said leading them to the play room, “this way.”

They got to the play room and the two new kids were shocked. “This is so cool,” Jordan said looking around at the bright room with bean-bag chairs littering the floor. There were toys everywhere, some were moving on their own, and others were changing colors. There were even some non-magical toys running about. A rainbow with clouds hung transparent in the top half of the room, some of the clouds were even give off a light sprinkle, which never touched the floor, but made the room a nice cool temperature. “How did you guys do this?” he asked in amazement. He grew up in a magical household, but he’d never seen anything like this.

Maisie ran into the room giggling spotted a teddy that was running around in no particular direction on it’s own and she tried to catch it. She was have a hard time of it, because every time she got close it would disappear and then reappear at the other end of the room. This just made her giggle more as she gave chase. Jordon smiled at his sister, she never got to play with magical toys —they never worked for her. Now though, she was having a great time.

“Well the aunts have been teaching us magic since we were little. They don’t do magic like your mom. I’m sure they are offering to teach her right now. They’re cool like that. You’ll probably join our tutoring sessions,” Harry said taking seat in one of the beanbag chairs, he smiled as he watched Maisie chase the bear. “Don’t worry though our tutors are cool, mostly. The aunts are even teaching someone from the government how to do our type magic.”

Neville and Jordan joined him in the other beanbag chairs. “What do you mean they don’t do magic like mum? I didn’t know there were other types of magic. The government really, isn’t that weird?” Jordan asked eyes still alight with wonder glancing all around the room.

“We don’t use wands,” Neville explained with a shrug. “Really pissed off one of our first tutors. Aunt Gilly had to wipe her memory, she got so bad. Remember that Harry?”

“Yeah, that woman was a bitch,” Harry said and then yelped when he got a sting in his backside.

“You is not using that language, Master Harry,” Kippy said as she popped into the room. She had heard the kids playing up here and came to see who else was in the house. “Kippy is not knowing where Master Harry is learning such bad words, but you should not be repeating them. Any you Master Nevilles will not be saying the word ‘pissed’,” she demanded shaking her finger at her two naughty boys.

“Sorry, Kippy, I didn’t mean it,” Neville said.

“Sorry, Kippy,” Harry said sheepishly, looking at the little house elf with big green puppy dog eyes. He learned to cuss from movies, of course, and he really didn’t want Kippy to ban him from watching. He didn’t think even the aunts would approve of him cussing at such a young age, but sometimes he just slipped.

Kippy just put her hands on her hips and glared at him, “Yous two is better behaving, or I’ms going to tell Master Luis about your dirty mouths.”

“I’ll behave,” Harry said quickly he was horrified; he hated getting lectures from Luis. Neville nodded frantically, thinking the same.

“Kippy has to go; Missy Witchy Gilly is calling hers. You twos behave.” And with that she popped away.

Neville laughed, because Harry got zapped and he didn’t. “She told you. I’ve been telling you not to cuss in the house. You never get away with it. At least my word isn’t considered a cuss word around here,” he said.

“Shove it, Neville,” Harry said glaring at him. “Anyway, Jordan, the aunts will want to share everything they’ve learned about magic. And nah, the agent is one of the cool tutors, so it’s not weird,” he explained then he looked at the young girl still running around the room. “Maisie isn’t a witch, is she? Not that there is anything wrong with that,” he said hastily. “I was just going to offer for her to join us in non-magical studies.” He had no idea his aunts were offering the same to the parents.

“It’s up to my parents I guess,” Jordan shrugged, hoping they will. He loved his sister and he didn’t care that she wasn’t a witch. “Enough grown-up talk, show me what you guys can do.”

And they proceeded to do just that. Toys flew around the room with a wave of a hand. Others changed shape with just a thought. The sprinkle of rain turned to snow, still not touching the ground, but pretty nonetheless. Jordan was amazed and hopeful that he could learn the magic with his new friends.

The kids played for a long time while the adults talked, making a lasting friendship that would see all of them through some very troubling times.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: The OC government worker is only going to stay in the background; there is however a reason she is there.**

**remember comments and reviews make authors write faster and sometimes better. feed the addiction.**

 

 

 


	15. Chapter 15: Salem Magical Institute

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one too. Just like the last few chapters it’s going to be time skipping until the boys are fourteen and go to Hogwarts for the Goblet of Fire. So about two years every other chapter until then. For you Sirius fans he will be making an appearance soon. This chapter is lots of list and the basic structure for SMI.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_September 1, 1988 after 5 p.m._ **

It had been a busy two years, the Hiltons learned a lot from the tutors in the Owens household. Evie learned wandless magic from the aunts and Gilly. Even little Maisie had learned a few things that made her life easier. The aunts made sure to teach her Wiccan magic so she would have a bit of power of her own. The agent that lived in the house also jumped on this development and reported it to the government and a new program was set up for squibs to learn Wiccan magic. Finley declined stating that he was fine without magic.

The tutors that taught the boys until they were ready for school were:

**Luis F. Butterworth:     etiquette         (Mon, Weds, Fri, noon to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.)**

**Claire T. Mumford:       charms             (Mon, Weds, Fri, at 1:15 p.m. to 3 p.m.)**

**Genevieve J. Cornett: regular studies   (Mon, Weds, Fri, at 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.)**

**Mark D. Rey:      wizard and Muggle history [British and American]**

**(Tues, Thurs, at 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.)**

So their schedule was quite full. However, the aunts made sure they had plenty of time for fun. The women jokingly complained that they had never had to work so hard in their lives. The only tutor that would stay on was Luis, although, Agent Mumford would stay in the house, but as a protection detail instead of tutor.

The Owens and Hiltons became inseparable. The boys saw each other every day to play and learn. Maisie spent hours with the aunts each day, when the boys were in magical studies, learning from the Book (only simple spells and herbs).

Kippy became a valued member of the family, yet maintained her house elf self and continued to clean and tend the kids. She did odd jobs for the Hiltons and Agent Mumford —they paid her well for her services. She was still paid by the Owen, of course, since she had no other way of making a living. She was, however, insisting on paying rent for her little room they had made for her off the kitchen. There was even talk of her trying to hire herself out as a supply runner in SunSpot Alley, when the boys were in school. But it was just talk right now.

In four days’ time the boys would go to Salem Magical Institute. The aunts and Evie were going over the brochure. Evie had made the Owens women wait until days before school started to get supplies. The women of the two households were sitting in the living room of the Owens house. There were tall glasses iced herbal tea, Kippy’s blend of course, and plates of little finger sandwiches on the table between them. The kids were outside playing with Finley, as Agent Mumford watched.

“This is so different from Hogwarts,” Evie said, her eyes roving the colorful pamphlet in front of her, taking in all the classes and the teachers. “There are even two different buildings for the same school.” Taking in the rather luxurious buildings, that looked more like grand mansions that school buildings. Albeit small mansions, only three stories tall, but mansion nonetheless.

“What’s so different? I mean, it’s a school right? How could it be too different?” Gilly asked bring the subject back around, hoping that differences were for the better. They had picked Evie to be the out loud reader to make sure they understood everything and nothing was missed. Since she had a magical education they felt she could explain things better.

“Well for one, there are non-magical classes at SMI.” Evie started to explain. Making sure the witches were listening. They might need to know this when the boys went to Hogwarts.

“Two, Hogwarts is a boarding school and SMI is a day school. The kids will take a magical school bus at 7 a.m. to school each morning and return in the evening at either 3:45 p.m. or if they did sports or band 5 p.m. do you think they will?”

“Oh, yeah you can count of Harry and Neville wanting to join the football team,” Gilly said with a chuckle.

“What you Americans call football, isn’t. I’m not even sure what to classify that game as,” Evie retorted and then went back to contemplating the brochure.

“Three,” the Hilton woman continued, “the school year is shorter at SMI, your American schools only go for nine months, while England’s go for ten.

“Four, magical Britain stops schooling at age seventeen, here they stop at eighteen. Then there’s the fact SMI starts at eight years of age, instead of eleven.” Evie saw the confused looks so she clarified. “Hogwarts starts at age eleven because that’s when a child’s magic supposedly stabilizes. Here they are saying that there is no reason to repress that. That theory can be taught along with simple wand spells,” Evie rattled off, still confounded at the difference.

“Five,” Evie continued counting off on her fingers, “SMI teaches all the way to a Masters, Hogwarts only teaches until NEWT’s.

“Six, the kids will only have one classroom with only one teacher until they are thirteen. It says here that they do that because they mostly study theory and mild spells until then. All younger year teachers have Masters in various crafts and even if they need a different teacher then the teachers will change rooms and the class stays were they are. Even in the non-magical studies, it says that this is normal for non-magical schools. Hogwarts has a separate teacher for each subject and you have to go to separate floors to find your class.

“Seven, Hogwarts is a large castle that is set away from all non-magical towns; SMI is two grandiose houses that are right smackdab in the middle of Salem.

“Eight, you have to enroll to SMI, Hogwarts is invite only. So I would say that the two schools are quite different.” She finished a little out of breath after her narration; she took a large drink of her tea.

“Why do you suppose there are two buildings?” Jet wondered out loud, going over her own booklet.

Gilly glanced through her pamphlet and answered, “Oh, it says here they use computers and other technology. So they have to have a separate building for those. Then the other building is for magical studies. The second building has non-magical repelling wards. I guess that make sense. They don’t know our magic yet, and even if they did, wand magic is still overpowered and will short electric stuff out.”

The women all nodded at that and went back to reading.

“What’s the schedule look like? Are the boys going to be very busy?” France asked, worried the boys wouldn’t have fun anymore, but knowing they needed to learn all they could now. The time they had to go back to England was coming closer. The Owens women had done everything in their power to make sure the boys were ready, without crushing their free spirit. Now it was the magical world’s turn.

“Let’s see. It says here, since they start school at the age eight, one week will be non-magical studies and the next magical. They switch buildings each week. So the schedule for first years in the first week is non-magical:

**8:00: Announcements, lunch count, attendance, write the day’s homework in planners**

**8:10-8:30: Basic computer set up and programs**

**8:30-9:00: Spelling, penmanship and phonics**

**9:00-9:30: Specials Classes: Physical Education, Music, Library or Art (to be switched per day)**

**9:30-10:15: Language: English, Latin, Spanish and French (to be switched daily)**

**10:15-10:30: Recess**

**10:30-11:15: Math**

**11:15-12:00: Reading**

**12:00-12:35: Lunch and lunch recess**

**12:35-1:35: History**

**1:35-2:00: Flexible time**

**2:00-2:40: Social Studies or Science**

**2:40-3:00: End-of-day administration, prepare for tomorrow, pack up and clean up, dismissal**

**3:30-4:45: Extracurricular activities**

“Then they switch to magical studies, so the second week is:

**8:00: Announcements, lunch count, attendance, write the day’s homework in planners**

**8:10-8:30: Theory reading: Spells, curses and jinxes what’s the difference**

**8:30-9:00: Wand movement and incantations (one day a week dedicated to wand care. For the first month)**

**9:00-9:30: Specials Classes: Physical Education (one flying class a month), Music, Library or Art (to be switched daily)**

**9:30-10:15: Language: Latin, English and French (to be switched daily)**

**10:15-10:30: Recess**

**10:30-11:15: Basic Arithmancy**

**11:15-12:00: Astrology**

**12:00-12:35: Lunch and lunch recess**

**12:35-1:35: History**

**1:35-2:00: Transfiguration**

**2:00-2:40: Magical government structure and laws**

**2:40-3:00: End-of-day administration, prepare for tomorrow, pack up and clean up, dismissal**

**3:30: Extracurricular activities**

“So the schedule is still the same they just change off subjects. There are separate teachers for non-magical and magical, but that is to be expected. It says here that when the first years are in magical studies then the non-magical teacher will teach the second years. The same with the upper years, so each teacher has at least two age groups to teach, until junior high, which is when the kids turn thirteen,” Jet said with a thoughtful look on her face.

“That sounds rather expedient,” Gilly said smugly.

“Where did you learn such a big word, Gilly-bean?” Jet teased with a crooked smile.

“Bite me, you old hag,” Gilly laughed still trying to hold on to her youth with both hands and be the responsible adult she was becoming. It took a lot to get Gilly to grow up, but the boys were a godsend in that area. The two women smirked at each other and then turned back to Evie as she continued.

“It doesn’t look like they get much into wand use until next year. Runes and Care of Magical Creatures will be added when they are eleven and will replace the wand care and theory classes. Potions will be added when they are thirteen and will replace Astrology. The classes, magical and non-magical, will get progressively harder,” Evie said going over the few years ahead so they would know what to expect.

“What is the supply list like? We’re going to have to go to SunSpot tomorrow. I wish we hadn’t waited, but you said that is was necessary to wait, Evie,” Gilly said not too worried that something bad was going to happen. Her seer friend had kept them out of a bit of trouble the past few years, by warning them when someone they didn’t want to meet was close by and to stay in their house.

Every since the Owens had taught her how to use her magic wandlessly, Evie and her family had enjoyed the benefits of using Muggle appliances, like the telephone. It was much better than the Floo, and she could warn her friends much faster. There had been three times, so far, that someone from England was in New Salem watching the town. She had warned her friends, who in turn told Agent Mumford, who of course reported it.

Now every British visitor gets questioned more thoroughly than before, as to their purpose in the United States. With the agent living in the house the government knows who the boys are and how they got there. They’ve seen the paperwork and felt there was no need to tell the British where the boys are. Especially, when they were told the reasons they were wanted. Albus Dumbledore was making it hard for anyone to move about in England without him or his cronies questioning their motives, so they were returning the favor.

Evie continued reading, “Let’s see the supply list for the non-magical studies are:

**No. 2 pencils**

**Colored pencils**

**A pencil sharpener (hand-held with a top to collect shavings)**

**A large pink eraser (The old-fashioned ones do the best erasing.)**

**Ballpoint pens**

**A box of crayons**

**Water-based markers**

**Spiral-bound or composition notebooks**

**Loose-leaf notebook paper**

**A three-ring binder**

**Pocket folders**

**A box for storing items**

**Highlighters**

**Index cards, ruled and unruled**

**A sturdy, supportive, expanded, feather light, backpack (SMI does not have lockers, please supply your child with this type of backpack)**

**Drawing paper**

**Construction paper**

**A ruler with English and metric measurements**

**Glue sticks**

**A four-ounce bottle of white glue**

**Scotch tape**

**A stapler**

**Scissors**

**Watercolor paints**

**Printer paper**

**Ink cartridges**

**A sturdy lunch box**

**A stainless steel water bottle**

**NOTE: Computer classes are mandatory, we recommend you purchase a computer for your home or visit your local library often. If you purchase a laptop, do not let your children bring it to the school. We cannot guarantee that it will be safe.**

**Additional Note: Emergency supply kits will be available for purchase for $5 each, the other option is to make your own and a pamphlet will be supplied on the first day of school. They are mandatory.**

“Looks like we’re going to have to set up a room for studying, with a computer,” Jet mumbled, going over the finances in her head. “At least we know there are enough funds for that.” Just as promised the goblins provided a substantial allowance to the witches. And just like they discussed, oh so many years ago, they put most of is away in a bank account for the boys. They were also very frugal when it came to spending said money. So that when the cousins and Jordan go back to England, there would be enough for at least one of the aunts to go with them. The Hiltons however, would have to stay here, but thanks to Evie’s gift they understood.

Not having heard Jet’s words, Evie continued on. “There’s another difference from Hogwarts. This school supplies the books, even in magical studies and they stock potion ingredients. I wonder why we had to pay for the school and the books, plus supplies in Hogwarts?” she questioned mostly to herself and then shook her head and went back to reciting the supply list. “Anyway,” she said aloud, “the magical supplies are a lot fewer:

**No. 2 pencils (for notes)**

**Colored pencils (for notes)**

**A pencil sharpener (hand-held with a top to collect shavings)**

**A large pink eraser (The old-fashioned ones do the best erasing.)**

**A calligraphy primer**

**Fountain pens (for homework)**

**Quill and ink (for homework)**

**Spiral-bound or composition notebooks (for notes)**

**Loose-leaf, three-hole, lined parchment (for homework: NEW: can be purchased in SunSpot Alley)**

**A three-ring binder**

**Pocket folders**

**A box for storing items**

**Index cards, ruled and unruled (for notes)**

**A sturdy, supportive, expanded, feather light, backpack (SMI does not have lockers, please supply your child with this type of backpack)**

**Wand**

**Wand holster**

**Wand cleaning kit**

**NOTE: It is recommended that magical and non-magical supplies are kept in separate backpacks.**

**Additional Note: Brooms are supplied by the school. Please, do not let your children bring their own broom. We cannot guarantee its safety, as there is no storage for such an item.**

“So we can go to Salem in the morning and hit Wally World for non-magical supplies and then get the magical stuff in the Alley. I want to stop by All Things Wicca anyway and get some supplies for Maisie. She is also starting first grade this year and her supply list is the same as the boys’ non-magical one,” Evie concluded, and then put the guide back in her purse.

“Can you explain to us, why the boys need quills and ink? Isn’t that a bit old fashioned?” Frances questioned. It never made sense to the Owens.

“Well,” Evie started tapping her finger to her chin, trying to figure out the best way to explain, “quills hold magic. That’s pretty much the brunt of it. They can be enchanted to keep children from cheating, plus, they work better with parchment, which is also enchanted. They’ve never been able to get non-magical pens and pencils to hold charm. The feathers quills are made out of come from magical birds, freely given.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. I wonder how they keep them from cheating in non-magical studies. Well never mind, I’m sure they have their way.” She waved off the question and went back to her booklet.

“What I would like to know is why you made us wait this long to go over all this? The only thing you let us do is enroll the boys. So what gives?” Frances asked the seer.

“Well I _saw_ letters arriving for other schools, and I knew that you might be thinking on sending them somewhere else, though I’m not sure why. So I made you enroll as soon as you could to SMI. The reason you had to wait this long is because the Alley was flooded with British Ministry people looking for Harry. I have no idea how they slipped in under the American government’s radar. But, if you had gone before today you and the boys would have been caught. I know you guys, if you had read the supply list you would have been off like a shot to get them, you always want to supply the boys with everything they need as soon as they need it. This is not a bad thing, just something you couldn’t do this time. So I made you wait. From what I _see_ , Harry and Neville should be okay in the Alley tomorrow,” Evie explained, sometimes she liked her sight, if it saved her friends hardship.

The witches looked affronted, “Evie, dear,” Frances said looking their friend in the eye, a small betrayed look on her face. “Do you believe we wouldn’t have understood that?” she probed, hoping that was not the case.

“OH, Merlin, no. that’s not why,” she exclaimed, devastated that they would think that. “No, I know you would have understood, but I _saw_ me telling you and Agent Mumford would have heard. She would then tell her boss and the Alley would have been flooded with counter-agents. Then the British government would know someone was hiding near Salem, you would have been found. No matter how I _looked_ I couldn’t find a way around that. As for the other schools, I _saw_ Harry take care of that so my interference wasn’t needed, except to hurry you along. I am so, so sorry I made you think, even for a minute, I didn’t have faith in you. This is why I sometimes hate my gift,” Evie explained as quickly as she could, small regretful tears forming in her eyes.

And that was why this gift was a two-sided coin.

Frances got up, sat on the arm of Evie’s chair and gave her a one armed hug. “Okay, sweetie, I understand that. Next time, please, just tell us you _saw_ something, but you can’t tell us what and we’ll understand,” she said, rubbing her distraught friends back.

Gilly messed her hair up sheepishly, “Yeah, we were thinking about sending the boys to a boarding school. To keep them behind wards throughout the year. But, Harry quickly dissuaded us of that notion. Told us if we ever tried to pull that again, he’d disown us. Sometimes I wish we had never taught him to stand up for himself, even with us.”

Evie’s tears dried up quick, remembering her vision of _that_. There was no way she was going to let _that_ come to pass. “If you had, he would have been found by Dumbledore and he would have been sent to his relatives. He would have hurt them. Not on purpose, but because they would have angered him to the point his magic would have flared and destroyed their house. Then the idiots of magical Britain would have called him a Dark Lord. So it is best you didn’t. You’ve already talked to Principal Williams, even had Death talk to him. He understands that Harry needs to be kept a secret; the other principal’s would not have, even with Death’s interference. Also, it is the wards around your house that keep him from being found. You **_must_** keep him here until he goes back,” she ended her tirade with that venomous warning. Her small hand slammed flatly on the table, in emphasis, causing the glasses and plates to shake. She looked like she would move the earth itself to make sure they understood just how dangerous what they had planned was.

The witches nodded earnestly, they knew by now to listen to Evie. If she said keep Harry here, they by all the Gods, they would keep him here.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: this was mostly a filler chapter to give you a feel of what SMI was like. Mandatory Shopping chapter next.**


	16. Chapter 16: Mandatory Shopping 2

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one too.**

_Quick Note: I have a few things running through my head, but when the boys go back they need to bring their own accommodations. Any suggestions or should I have them stay in the castle? There will be at least nine people coming with them. One teacher, five apprentices, three other students’ and themselves, so not anything too elaborate, but something to show off the magic the Owens taught the teachers in the school. I am leaning toward a trunk turned house, travel with a new form of travel —will take suggestions on that as well. If I get enough suggestions I’ll put a poll up, I rather like those, for both things._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_September 2, 1988 morning_ **

The next day the two families meet, at nine in the morning, at the Hiltons modest one story house. They decided that they would travel by _Jumping_ , Gilly’s form of Apparition, to All Things Wicca. Evie wanted to get some Wicca books for Maisie so they could continue the studies at night when the girl was done with her homework. Then they would all go to SunSpot Alley to get money and magic supplies, and then they would be off to Wally World to get non-magical supplies for everyone.

The Owens _Jumped_ into the back yard of the Hiltons house. They walked down the chilly wood chip path, which lead through the dying herb garden, to the back door and knocked. Finley answered looking a little rumpled, but smiling. He opened the door wider and said, “Good you guys are here. We’re just getting washed up. Come on in. there’s tea in the kettle.”

The Owens trooped in, unbuttoned their jackets, but didn’t remove them. The elder aunts, dressed in their usual old fashioned dresses with traditional traveling coats, complete with parasol, got tea and settled at the kitchen table. The boys, in jeans, tee-shirts and denim jackets, took off like a shot to find their friend. Gilly, in hip hugging jean and belly button shirt with a waist length leather jacket, just leaned against the counter and waited for everyone to be ready.

After about ten minutes everyone gathered in the kitchen, donning light jackets. “Everyone ready?” Evie asked, dressed in jean, button up blouse and light wool jacket, as she looked over her children to make sure they were bundled correctly.

“Yup,” Jordan said, dressed like his friends, as he playfully shoved Harry, who had just mussed up his hair. Harry just ducked and laughed and mussed it up again. Neville looked on with and tolerant smile, he was always the calmer one. Oh, he still played, just not a rough as these two boys.

Finley was dressed in jeans; button up shirt, and denim jacket. Maisie was in a nice dress with a knee length jacket.

“Good. Maisie, you will go with Gilly. Finley, you go with Jet. They are better at _Jumping_ then I am. Jordan, you go with Harry. Everyone in the back yard,” she commanded as she shuffled her troop out the door. Used to her ways, her family and friends just followed orders.

Gilly had asked once why they didn’t _Jump_ in the house and was told in no certain terms that it was very bad form to do any sort of traveling, short of the Floo, in the house. And the seer wouldn’t be dissuaded from that. The Owen women respected her wishes for her house, but traveled all the time from theirs.

Gilly grabbed Maisie’s hand and disappeared without a sound. Jet and Finley went next, then Harry and Jordan and the rest travel on their own. Jordon was still learning to Jump, but he was getting there, he could _Jump_ around the yard but if he couldn’t see where he was going then it didn’t work.

They all arrived in the back room of All Things Wicca, the same clerk from before was tending the till and gave the group a nod. Evie went to the books with Maisie; Frances went with them to point out the journals so Maisie could start making her own Book. Jet and Gilly went to restock candle and incense. The boys and Finley just hung around the back and waited, mostly, patiently for the women to finish. After the women were supplied they all went back to the back room and Evie opened the arch.

The sunlit Alley was busy as ever. It looked like they weren’t the only ones to put off the shopping until the last minute. Harry made sure to keep his hat low on his head. They never could find a way to cover that stupid scar. Even non-magical make-up just faded away. It was like the damned thing wanted to be seen. Even though Death had removed the soul piece, the scar was still a curse scar and seemed to have a mind of its own.

“First Gringotts, I think,” Jet said as she headed to the back of the mall.

“You know you would think that the bank would be at the front of the Alley,” Gilly said as she held on to Maisie and followed her aunt.

“It’s all about marketing,” said Finley knowingly as that was his job, marketing for malls. “If you travel through the mall to the back you’ll stop and look at stores, see the sales and think to yourself ‘oh look, a sale on shoes. I’ll have to come back for that.’ Making you want to spend money on things you aren’t even here for.”

“Oh, that’s sneaky, but effective I’m sure,” Gilly replied, after all the man would know.

Jet was looking around the mall and noticed a man doing magic with a wand; he was making expanded book bags. She looked on with a small look of wonder on her face.

Evie noticed the look and questioned, “you know, every time you see a man do magic you get that same look on your face, why?” it had been a burning curiosity since she had known the witches, there was just never a time the tutors weren’t around for her to ask.

“Oh,” Jet said coming back to herself, “you have to understand the Owes have all been women. Marie was non-magical born and the first in our family. The curse she laid on us made every child a woman. We’ve never seen any man do magic. And no matter how many years have passed, it still catches me off guard sometimes, which is rather funny, since Luis has been teaching us for years.”

“I didn’t know that,” Evie said with a nod, thinking there might be more to the Owen then they have told her. This was okay, because there were still things about her families past she kept to herself. Just because the two families were tight didn’t mean they shared everything.

The group finally made it to the bank. The Owens went to the exchange counter while the Hiltons went to withdraw from their vault. Since the Owens got direct deposit, they had not had to set foot in the vault, ever. Money exchanged and gathered everyone met at the front of the bank.

“Okay,” Gilly said as she looked around, “where first?”

“I think,” said Harry, “that we should get the book bags first. That way we can just put everything in them so we don’t have to carry bags and sh… um stuff.” He still had issues with cussing around his family. Not that he cussed like a sailor, just slipped every now and then. He was used to cussing out the bullies in town as they seemed to think it made him more bad-assed when he did and left him alone more often than not. Since he was still on the short side he took advantage of any tool he could use. After the Magical Law Enforcement showed up one time, he refrained from cursing the kids that bullied him. It was their fault; if they hadn’t been throwing rocks at Neville he wouldn’t have lost control. It was a good thing they never found out who had the accidental magic. Or Harry would have been caught and sent back to England, and Evie said that would be a very bad thing. The seer warned him to avoid doing magic in town at all cost. So he took to cussing them instead.

Gilly blinked at the near miss, then shrugged it off. They had been warned to leave it alone, unless Harry started talking like a dock worker, as right now it was his only form of defense. If he used violence in any nature it would come back and haunt him in the future. “Sound logical,” she said ruffling his hair.

When they got to the store they all headed to the side where the book bags were. “Pick what you want kids, we’ve been saving just of today,” Finley said to his two children. They both got excited looks on their faces and ran to the bags.

In the end Harry got his two bags, the first was a green bag that matched his eyes it had a large stag in a forest on the back, which had a huge rack of antlers and would prance and jump through the trees. The other was a red bag that had all sort of sports paraphernalia (wizard and non-magical) that bounce and flew around. Neville’s first bag was forest green and had vines that twisted and bloomed. His second bag had a large otter, which would slide down a hill into a lake, then would climb back up and do it again. Jordon’s first bag was the same as Harry’s sports one, only in blue. His second was a brown bag that had books that would fly off the shelf and open and close then reshelf itself. Maisie’s bag was one that was covered in butterflies and fairies. All the bags were spelled with a Notice-Me-Not that was aimed towards non-magicals, so they could use the in either world.

They next went to the book store to get dictionaries and encyclopedias for the study rooms. There were some reference books they wanted to get as well. They didn’t spend much time in the books store.

Next was the stationery store to get a calligraphy primer, fountain pens and tips, quills and pen knife, bottles of ink, spiral-bound notebooks, and loose-leaf lined parchment. All other stationery stuff they would get at Wally World.

Last but not least it was time to get the wands. This store the Owen witches had never been in before. It was called Wanda's Witches and Wizards Wand Shoppe, catchy title. Finley and Maisie declined going in, so the women and the boys left them as they split the potions shop so Finley could get stuff to stock the Hiltons house.

Like the rest of the Alley Wanda’s was bright and sunny, the shelves were neat and organized. There were benches for parents by the window and chairs by the shelves for the children. The store was colored in muted browns and blacks, but didn’t come off as dark and broody. The boys excitedly made their way to the counter. The woman at the till looked on tolerantly, she was quite use to eight year olds. “Oh, here for your wands are you?” she said smiling.

“Yeah,” came the chorus of three, along with vigorous nodding of heads.

“Okay, then. Who is first?” the clerk asked, “I’m Wanda by the way. You can call me Miss Wanda,” she introduced herself to the boys and looked to the four women seated in the back and gave her permission for the same with a nod of her head.

“I think Harry should go last,” Evie predicted and when she saw the slumped shoulder she added. “Not that you’re not important Harry, just I have a feeling you’re going to take the longest. So let the others go first.”

Use to Evie’s ways a disappointed Harry nodded and stepped aside.

Wanda pointed to a circle and said, “Step in here, whoever goes first. This circle is spelled so misfired wands don’t ruin my store.”

Neville stepped forward and stood in the circle indicated. A measuring tape flew out from behind the counter and started measuring everything, even the size of his feet. “Ummm, why is it doing that?” a confused Gilly asked Wanda.

“Oh, you’re Muggle-born then. Well the tape is not just measuring for the length of the wand it’s also getting a ruling for his magic and personality. When it is done a spell will pop up with some quill and parchment, letting me know which wands to try on him. The wand chooses the wizard after all. The list will also let me know if I need to make a wand instead of using my stock. I keep expensive ingredients in the back for just such purpose,” the wand maker explained.

The tape stopped measuring and the list appeared. Neville tried about twenty wands and finally matched with an eleven and three quarters inch, holly and Pegasus tail hair. “Holly wood is to symbolize truth and Pegasus hair is for wisdom, you will be a very true friend,” Wanda smiled at the proud looking boy.

Jordon stepped up into the circle. The tape did its thing and Wanda chose the wands from the list provided by the spell, Jordon only had to try ten wands and was chosen by a ten inch, vine with toenail of a sphinx. “Vines symbolize growth and life, the sphinxes are benevolent, but having a ferocious strength you will be a strong protector,” the shop owner explained to the beaming boy.

Then came Harry’s turn, he stepped into the circle and waited for the tape to stop. The other boys to a seat having been forewarned it would take a while. The list that popped up was long, it was noted that this might have to be made. “Well, we’ll just try the ones on the list first, since crafted wands are more expensive,” the wand maker said, with a look of excitement.

Three hours and one hundred twenty-two wands later it was decided that he needed a crafted wand. So everyone got up and followed the wand maker to the back, after she put a sign up that the store was temporarily closed.

“Okay, this is very simple,” Wanda told the tired boy. “Put your hand over the box of wood, we know from the wands earlier that you, like your cousin, seemed to like your birth wood, Holly, but let’s make sure.”

Harry stepped up to the box indicated and held his hand over it. A few seconds later a twelve inch piece of Holly flew to his open hand.

“Now, step over here and try to find your core in the canisters on the shelf.”

Harry again did as instructed and passed his right hand along the canisters. It took about two minutes when one canister glowed.

“Griffin feather, very interesting,” the shop owner said as she took the canister down. “A Griffin is a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine. Needless to say we can expect great things from you young man. It will take an hour for me to craft this wand. How about we go to the front and you can pay and come back. This wand is fifteen galleons, the other two are seven.”

The women and the boys went to do as suggested. Evie paying for Jordan’s and Gilly paying for her two wards. They meet with a disgruntled Finley and Maisie, who had been waiting outside the locked store.

Gilly smiled sheepishly and apologized, “Sorry about that, we had to get Harry’s wand special made. She locked up the store and I didn’t even think about you two.” She blushed and so did the other women.

“We saw you were still busy with Harry, two hours ago. So we went to the ice cream parlor. We brought you guys back some but it melted a long time ago,” Finley said, glaring at the abashed women. Again, apologies were made by t women as the boys told Maisie about their wands. The group headed to have a very late lunch and when they were done they went to get Harry’s wand.

Soon it was time to go to Wally World, that trip was completely uneventful. Both families decided they were too tired to _Jump_ so the train was caught and everyone went their home and to bed. They’d see each other tomorrow.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: Don’t worry I’m not going to make Harry a potty mouth; it will just be his form of defense. So he will only use it with bullies like Malfoy. It will be in the form of sneering and sniping instead of him getting angry. The bullies will be put down by his wit instead of his fist.**


	17. Chapter 17: School —Finally

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one too.**

_AN: Okay I have a few suggestions on lodging; I do need some form of travel though. Thanks for the few reviewers that answered my quest. I might just combine a few of the suggestions as they mesh well together._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**AN: it has been many years since I sent my kids off to school and I can’t remember if the schools start the day after Labor Day or the first Monday after. So I’m starting them the day after. That and I think every state starts on different days. So I am once again waving my artistic license and making it the way I want. It’s like magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_September 6, 1988 (the day after Labor Day) early morning_ **

It was 5 a.m. and the Owens household was in quiet chaos. Kippy, who as wearing a cute little kitty robe that Maisie had given her, was trying to get breakfast and lunch ready, without making too much in her need to make sure the little Masters were taken care of when she wasn’t with them.

Gilly, who was still dressed in her night clothes, consisting of a long tee-shirt and baby-doll robe, was yelling at the boys to hurry up. The aunts, who were dressed for the day in their normal floor length, long sleeved dress, were the only ones sitting calmly, drinking their coffee.

Harry and Neville sporting boxers were sleepily trying to decide what to wear for the fifteenth time that morning. They had stayed up late last night, too excited to sleep. They had not been in a school environment since pre-school, and none of those kids had been like them. So this was a completely new experience for them.

At last, Harry settled for a nice pair of dark brown casual dress pants, an emerald green button up shirt, black biker boots and a black baseball cap with a white Nike logo.

He had to get special permission to wear the cap, but since Principal Williams knew who he was, it was given, with the consensus that the hat’s never had any phrases on them; symbols were fine as long as they weren’t offensive. All the teachers would be informed that he could wear it, but not who he was. To everyone else at the school, he was Harry Owens. They were told he had a curse scar that was sensitive to air and this was the only way to protect it, which was mostly true. Harry was thinking about getting a fedora, to make him look all cool and stuff. Now that he had eye contacts, instead of glasses, he felt he might be able to pull it off.

They decided to get him contacts when the books started to appear. They were all horrified when they saw the image to James Potter, complete with black messy hair and black framed glasses (much like Harry’s own) with Lily Potter’s emerald green eyes, staring at them from a book that was called _Harry Potter and The Battle With The Dragon_. They had asked the goblins what could be done about them, and were told that unless they came out to whom and where Harry was, it was best to leave it alone. The goblins, however, were drawing up the paperwork for lawyers to sue when Harry did come out. They were keeping track of every bit of money the author was making. They still feared what would happen to them if they angered Death.

Neville decided on a pair of tan casual pants, a white polo shirt, and black sneakers. His short, dirty-blonde hair was neatly washed and combed.

Each boy grabbed their bags and denim jackets, and ran down the stairs to get breakfast. Harry decided that his sports decorated bag would be his non-magical studies bag, and Neville decided on his vine covered one. Since they were doing non-magical studies this week, their wands were left at home. The teachers didn’t want wands in the non-magical buildings. Kids this age couldn’t resist temptation.

As the boys settled at the table to eat, the conversation began on what the women were going to do today, now that they only had Agent Mumford and Luis to teach at night. The Agent was going to the school with the boys, much to their displeasure, to keep an eye out for trouble. She was posing as a teacher aide as to not draw attention to the boys. The only reason the boys were upset was because they didn’t like the fact that the American Government felt they needed protecting in the first place, but the government, Evie and the aunt insisted. So they begrudgingly accepted. She had already left for the school.

“Aunt Jet, what are you doing today, while we’re gone?” Neville asked between bites of Kippy’s wonderful eggs.

“Aunt Frances and I are going back to Salem to pick up a computer for you guys. We’re going to make your old play room a study. Kippy has promised not to clean in there, not wanting to blow up any expensive piece of equipment, so you guys will have to make sure it stays clean,” Jet answered still sipping her coffee.

“Really,” Harry asked excitedly bouncing in his seat, “we’re getting a computer? Why didn’t we get one yesterday?” his face morphing to a confused frown as he settled.

“We didn’t want to make the Hiltons feel bad by spending a lot of money around them,” Gilly answered, looking pointedly at the two boys. “Finley works hard and can be a little sensitive that he can’t support his family the way we can. Not that he is jealous per say, just that it makes him a little unhappy. So we try not to flaunt your money in his face. We’ll of course let the kids use the computer, with you two, but it is only for homework. Got it?” she still stared them down with a firm look. She knew the boys weren’t braggarts, but they were boys and sometimes had no tact at all.

Maybe, in a few years they’d get a computer for games and such, but right now she wanted them to learn responsibility and that some tools were used for certain things only, much like magic. She was saving her own money to get a laptop —the Owens women never used the boys’ money for themselves. They were making a bit of money by teaching the tutors and the government, so it was okay. They had even stopped taking many requests from the town folk. Of course, anything they taught the Hiltons was free of charge, one didn’t do that with friends, and Evie never charged for her gift.

The boys both sagely nodded their heads, knowing that a few times they would slip and boast about their money to their friend. They would see the flash of need in his eye, then the guilt that followed, after that they tried really hard not to brag about anything.

“Aunt Gilly,” Harry said getting her attention to him, “Why don’t you offer to have Finley do some work for you and that way he can feel better about letting the kids use the computer. I mean, he is in marketing right? Well, we all know that there are books about me that I never approved of, so maybe he, I don’t know, maybe he knows someone who knows the laws or he can work with the goblins for the lawsuit. You could say it was a favor, then letting everyone use the computer would be a favor in return,” he suggested, with logic only kids seemed to have sometimes, grown-ups forget about swapping big favors (not like the magic teaching that was a friend thing, this was work) when everything around them has to do with money exchanges. But, kids, sometimes that is all they had to bargain with.

“That is a really good idea, kiddo,” Gilly said reaching over the table flipping his cap off his head. “When did you get so smart?” she teased.

“Oi, leave off will ya?” he said as he grabbed his hat off the floor. He had picked up the phrase from Jordan. Since, they knew they were going to return to England, the boys had took it upon themselves to learn all English phrases, not that they were going to hide their upbringing, they just didn’t want to be caught flatfooted by the bizarre way those Brits talked. They did, however, pick a few up that they liked, spoken in a very American accent. This caused the Hiltons to bust out laughing, which was worse when the boys tried English accents.

The conversation went on from there and soon it was time for the bus. Kippy held out two enormous bags of lunch, the boys not wanting to make her feel bad, took the bags without comment. Both were glad their book bags were expanded. The bus horn tooted and the boys and Gilly ran off.

“Alright you two behave and learn all that you can. We’re counting on you,” Gilly said happy tears running down her face. The bus driver, who was used to this, just patiently waited.

“I’m going to miss you Aunt Gilly,” Harry said giving her a big hug. “I won’t let you guys down. I’ll behave, mostly, you can’t not want me to have any fun, right?” a little mischievous smile played on his face. He knew the aunts wanted him to be as free spirited as he could and still obey the rules.

“You little brat, you do what you will, but don’t get in trouble,” she laughed and returned the hug, after giving Harry a playful push, she turned to Neville.

“You watch out for him, don’t let him get you into trouble, I know we can expect you to behave. You are my good little boy,” she said hugging her nephew hard, but gave Harry a smirk to let him know she was playing with him.

“You know me so well,” Neville deadpanned returning the hug just as hard. The horn tooted again, patient the driver may be, he did have a schedule to keep.

“Okay,” Gilly said wiping her eyes “Off you go. Be good. Have fun. Learn lots. And make many friends,” were her short demands.

The boys both waved and climbed on the bus. Jordan hailed them over and they all excitedly talked about what the school would be like. The bus didn’t seem to follow normal driving laws. Instead it would fold on to itself and inch along like an inch worm, covering miles at a time, but non-magicals didn’t seem to see it. The kids inside felt like they were on a ride at the carnival, but without the upset tummy effect and after a few more stops to pick up students, the buildings of SMI came in view.

Like the aunts said the two building were similar. They were five stories high and made with brown shingled siding. The non-magical building’s windows and doorway had a white trim, the magical blue. There was ornamental wooden trim about the slanted slated roof. There was even a widow’s walk that was framed but a large window on the roof of both buildings. Though why the buildings so far from the sea supported these, was a mystery to the boys. Maybe it was for decoration. There were tall pillars that held a slated canopy that covered three feet in front of the buildings and started on the second floor. The pillars were painted to match the trim.

A huge, well keep, deep green lawn was in front of the buildings with larger ones in the back, you could see the white of the gymnasium peeking between the buildings. Trees, whose leaves were turning many colors and dropping to blanket the lawn, littered the lawn, both front and back. There was a playground smack dabbed between both buildings. That had swings, slides, teeter-totters, and other things you would find in any other schoolyard playground.

Two long, wide, winding, paved walkways started where the bus let the students off and continued to the large double doors, twisted in front of either building, leading students to where they needed to go. They had neatly trimmed five foot hedges on either side. There were students of all ages walking up both walkways.

All of the new kids stopped on the sidewalk that connected the two walkways and stared, it was a beautiful sight.

“Alright you guys, time to stop staring and head to the building with the white trim. You guys are doing non-magical studies today. If any of you have your wands you need to hand them over,” a dark haired adult male said. “I’m Mr. Parker; I’ll be your teacher this year on the non-magical side. Just an FYI I’m a squib, so I won’t tolerate any bigoted comments. Keep your opinions to yourself,” he said firmly. Then he smiled and said, “Now that that is out of the way, gather you things and I’ll take you to your class.” He kind of reminded the boys of the elder aunts. They were impressed.

The now kind and smiling Mr. Parker gathered the kids around him and led them up the walkway to the white trimmed building. They stayed on the first floor and went in to room NM1, which stood for non-magical one, there were only thirteen students. Unlike England, the schools in America only had children come in form the immediate surrounding states, this school had kids form all the New England states, except New York —they had their own school, because there were enough magicals there to warrant their own small school. So this school had kids from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire. The population of students for SMI measured about 150.

The two floors for the buildings were set up for elementary ages *(8-12), the third for junior high (12-14) and forth for high school (14-16), the fifth for apprenticeships (16-18).

The classroom was set up like a normal elementary class. Metal and wood child size desk were set around the room in a half arch. They each had a metal and wood chair to match. There were slots for pencils and pens curved in to the top half of the desk. The wood part of the desk tilted open to reveal a hollow area where binders and textbooks were stored. There was a row of hooks and bins along the back wall where book bags and coats were to be placed. A large teacher’s desk sat at the front of the class behind it was a green blackboard and a white dry-erase board. A smaller teacher’s desk was off to the side for the teacher’s aide. There was a large wooden and metal table, surrounded by colorful plastic child size chairs, which had a hole in the middle, on the other side of the class, used for craft time and coloring. Motivational posters littered the wall making the class appear bright and cheery.

“Okay, first hang you bag on the hooks in the back. Then everyone find the desk with your name on it and we’ll get started by introducing yourself to the rest of the class. If you stay on with this school you will be classmates until you graduate, so try and get to know one another,” Mr. Parker said and the children scrambled to comply.

The three boys were still excited, they were very hopeful that they would make many friends at this school. They would need all the help they could get when they returned to England, however, that was not the reason they wanted friends. They wanted to teach their magic to everyone. They were cool like that.

**Hppmhppm**

***these are the ages for American Magical schools, not regular schools. They have an accelerated program so they can have both types of studies and incorporate apprenticeships. As to the widow’s walks I like them, I like the history behind them. They are not necessary to the story, but given the state they are in, I figured I could get away with it.**


	18. Chapter 18: After The First Day of Class

**AN: I will not be doing day by day classes. This is pretty much just another filler chapter; however, it does serve the purpose to show how different the two schools are. The next chapter will skip a few years and soon Sirius will be on the scene.**

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one too.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_September 6, 1988 later that day_ **

Gilly and the aunts heard the bus pull up and went to greet the boys; they were all excited and hoped that the boys had a good day.

“Aunt Gilly, Aunt Jet, Aunt Frances, you will never believe the day we had,” Harry exclaimed, jumping from aunt to aunt giving everyone a big hug. You could see the excitement shining in his emerald eyes. Neville followed suit and he too was shouting his enjoyment of a day well spent.

“Whoa there, kiddo, calm down, we’ll get to hear all about your day. First, I want to go and get the Hiltons, so we can all hear about everyone’s day,” Gilly said with a laugh, prying her dark haired nephew off her waist, after returning the hug he bestowed on her.

“Okay,” Harry said slightly disappointed, but after a minute he got excited, because his friend would be there to share.

Gilly left to get the Hiltons and returned about five minutes later. They joined the aunts and the boys’ in the dining room, where they had gone to wait. There were plates of sandwiches and cookies on the table, as well as two pitchers, one with milk the other with juice. Everyone served themselves snacks and when everyone was settled the conversation began.

“Soooo,” Gilly began drawing out the word just to tease the children, “what did you guys learn today? Let’s start with Maisie since she was the only one in her class and she’s the youngest.”

The boys groaned, they wanted to talk first, but conceded to the woman power in the room. Having been raised by witches they all knew it was easier to give in than fight. Even, Finley agreed with that, of course he always knew that.

Maisie’s classes were a lot fewer than the boys’ since her school wasn’t accelerated. She didn’t have any languages nor did she have Arts (only free time drawing), Music or Library; she only had PE. As she went rapidly through her day, talking about her teacher, Ms. Paine, and the new kids she meet, her had flew wildly and she bounced up and down in her chair, almost spilling her milk three times, until her mother took it from her. The adults smiled indulgently and congratulated her in all the right places. The boys put their heads on the table and waited for their turn.

“… and then the Ms. Paine walked us to the bus and I came home.” Maisie finished her tale.

“I am so proud of you, sweetheart. You are growing up so fast, and that picture you drew is adorable. We’ll put it up on the fridge when we get home. Since the boys were rude enough not to listen to your wonderful story, why don’t you go and join Kippy in the kitchen and start your homework. You can come and ask if you need help,” Evie said glaring at the unabashed boys, whose cheeks were tinted pink at being called out by an adult, but not by not listening to a stupid girl. They loved Maisie, but, she was still a girl.

“Okay, Mummy,” the little girl said and she picked up her book bag and skipped out of the dining room to find Kippy.

“That as quite rude of you boys,” Evie chastised the boys and though the Owens women didn’t agree, they knew that Luis would, so they let Evie handle it. They tried to stay out of the whole etiquette lessons. They would never allow themselves be bound down by rules; however, they also knew it was something the boys needed for the future. And from what Luis told them the children could pass themselves off as the young Lords they were, when they wanted too. The Owens were just glad to see their rebellious side showed every now and then, like now.

“We know,” Neville said eyes sparkling with barely suppressed humor; he really didn’t think they had done anything wrong. It’s not like they laughed at Maisie, they just didn’t pay attention to her. “But, she was taking forever and we wanted to tell our day too. However, we apologize. Don’t we, guys?” he asked nudging the boys on either side of him. The two boys nodded their heads and then perked up realizing it was their turn.

Evie sighed, boys will be boys after all and no matter how many manners you teach them they are always going to be boys. “Fine,” she said waving her hand in their direction, “let’s hear about your day. First start off with your teacher.”

All three boys tried to talk at once, stumbling over each other words and none of them being heard correctly, so Frances put up her hand to make them stop. “Jordan, why don’t you start? then Harry, then Neville. We’ll go through each class and then you can tell us what homework you have,” she said and pointed at Jordan.

“Well, Mr. Parker is way cool. He reminds us of Aunt Jet, all smiles and nice words unless it’s, like, really important. He told us right away that he was a Squib and won’t let anyone talk bad about them or any other bad names. He has lines all over his face, like the aunts, like he smiles all the time,” Jordan said being young enough that he didn’t realize he was breaking a taboo on telling women they looked old. “He had the whole classroom set up, with our names on the desk and everything, Ms. Mumford was there too, but we really didn’t talk to her,” he said, and then his face got a disappointed look on it. “We didn’t get to sit next to each other; we had to sit all the way across the class. We asked Mr. Parker if we could switch seats, but, he said no way, ‘cause we’re like friends and family, and we might talk to each other in class. So we couldn’t, but other than that he was way cool.” Having been in the states this long Jordan was picking up slang rather rapidly, you could tell after his first day of class his English mannerisms would soon be a thing of the past.

“Right, that’s good, I think,” Gilly said trying to sort through the new turn of phrases the boys seemed to pick up. “So he’s a good man, that won’t let you talk bad about anyone? Right?”

“That’s what I said,” Jordan huffed causing the women to laugh at him which caused him to pout harder.

“Okay, Okay, stop teasing the boy,” Jet said and then she turned to Harry. “What happened next?”

“Well, we had to stand up at our desk and tell everyone what our name was and what state we were from, and something about ourselves,” Harry explained waving his hands back and forth between the three boys. “We went in alphabetical order, so me and Neville went way after Jordan did, ‘cause we’re Owens’ there. We gave our names and told them we grew up here. Neville told them he liked plants and I told them I liked football and Jordan told them he like football, too.”

“Yeah,” Jordan cut in receiving a mock glare from Harry and a head swat, “and Mr. Parker said he like football too.”

“It’s my turn you dummy,” Harry said trying to swat his friend again, but this time hitting Neville who was still sitting between them.

“Hey,” Neville said and went to push Harry playfully.

“Don’t,” Evie said, stopping the rough housing before it started. “We have been waiting all day to hear about your first day of school. You can play after you’ve done your homework. Neville, your turn.”

“Well, there really isn’t much to tell,” he began looking at the other boys who nodded in agreement. “after that Mr. Parker told us what we’d be learning today and then we went to the computers and he gave a whole bunch of rules, the computers weren’t plugged in. He said that we couldn’t plug the in until next week. But we did learn were the on and off button was and what the mouse was for. You know simple stuff that people who never used a computer before need to know.” He shrugged and turned to Jordan, now that it was his turn again.

“Then we had to do spelling and we had to learn to do it in cursive,” he made a face at that. The boys knew this form of writing it was part of their etiquette lessons, Luis made sure they knew how to write formal letters. That didn’t mean he had to like it though. “The teacher said me, Harry and Neville’s was really good though, so we got to study the words ahead of everyone. Which was cool, I guess.” And he turned to Harry. The aunts just followed along with their heads, nodding in the correct places.

“We was supposed to have PE today, but they forgot to tell us to bring our suits, so we got to play in the playground for a little while. Here is the schedule for PE days,” he said after he dug through his bag to get the note, the other boys following suit. He handed his to Frances, because she was closer and she passed it down the table. Jordan gave his to his mum, and Neville just handed his to Frances as well.

“I’ll make sure Kippy gets this, since she is still in charge of the laundry, but, I want you guys to make sure the suits are in your bags. That way if you forget you can’t blame it on anyone but yourselves,” Gilly said with a pointed look. They may not be big on manner but the Owens witches were huge on responsibility.

“Yes, ma’am,” came two responses. Jordan nodded his head to his mum showing he understood as well.

“Okay, whose turn is it?” Jet asked to relieve the little tension that was building up in the room.

“Mine,” said Neville and continued on without pause, “then we had English today, we have to read these really old books and talk about what is different between now and then. We will switch off and do languages the next few days. Mr. Parker says we’re going to start off real small and learn spells and such, so we can pronounce them correctly when we go to the magic side. Even the ones in French.” He bounced excitedly; any form of new magic was a reason to bounce.

“That’s most wonderful. Remember, you can’t do any magic outside the house or the school. I would prefer if you waited until one of us can be there just to make sure no one gets hurt,” Jet said beaming at the three boys.

“We remember,” Harry said and started his turn without being prompted. “Then after recess we had to do math, Mr. Parker said if we want to do well in Arithmancy then we need to do really well in math. He said if we are going to create spells when we are older or tell the future by patterns we need to know this. So, we,” he pointed to each boy, “talked about it and wanted to know if we start doing badly could we get a tutor?” he asked pretty sure of the answer, they had no problem in the past, so he figured it wouldn’t be a problem now.

“Of course you can, my darling little boys,” Frances said, “like we’d deny you anything.” She shot a look at Evie before the woman could say anything, the other woman stayed silent for now, but her lips pursed in disapproval.

“Then,” Neville said drawing the two women back to him, “we did more reading but this time in new books, we still had to talk about what we were reading though. Mr. Parker said we had to do that to learn to think smart-like.”

“Neville, I’m sure Mr. Parker didn’t say smart-like,” Evie said, she was hard put to let the boys’ speak how they wanted too. The Owens women were all for it, but, she was having a hard enough time understanding them. Maybe, she would demand it in her own house, but try and keep up here. Speaking of which, “Sorry, Neville, I’m just having a hard time understand your new way of talking. Try and keep it at a minimum for me, please?” Though she had chastised them earlier, she didn’t want to make her friends upset with her by being too hard on the boys. Neville smiled his understanding and nodded to Jordan.

“After lunch, we had history which was Boring,” you could hear the capital, “then we had craft time. There was this huge table in the class room with all these art things in it. And we could make whatever we wanted. But, we didn’t get done today, so we didn’t bring anything home.” Jordan shrugged and nodded to Harry.

“We had social studies, which I have to say I know nothing about, we might have to get the newspaper just do me and Neville can keep up in that class, or watch the news, I think I want the paper though so I can use it for my homework.” News wasn’t something that was done in the Owens house, the aunts found it too depressing, but if it was for school they could get the paper for the kids. “Then we got out homework assignments and the teacher told us that sign up for band and stuff is next week, it depends on how well we do this week. Too bad we can’t try out for the football team this year. But we can do drama and band and stuff.”

“Well,” said Frances with a huge smile, “it sounds like you had a very productive day, what say we go to town and get some ice cream? Then we can come back and see about that nasty homework. I know , I know, but needs must and all. Treats first then work.” The aunts had a strange way of doing things but the nephews weren’t complaining.

“I think I will take my broad home. I want them to get the homework done before Finley gets there. So if you will excuse me, we’ll be going. Sorry, sweetie,” she said at her son’s disappointed face, “but your dad it going to want to hear about your day too, don’t you want to make sure you have time to tell him?”

Jordan nodded his head conceding the point and with a wave to his friends he gathered his bag and followed his mum.

Though, they had been friends for many years now the Owens and the Hiltons had different views on child raising, had it not been for the fact that Death said that the Owens way was the way it had to be Evie would push harder to have them more responsible, well in her eyes, but as it was it was something they didn’t fight over, just didn’t agree on.

The aunts and the boys went to town and got their ice cream and when they got home Gilly helped them with their homework, there was plenty of time left to play so they did. A good night was had by all.

 


	19. Chapter 19: The Other Relatives

**Practical Magic Intro:**

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one too.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_February 18, 1990_ **

Harry and Neville loved their school, with their best friend Jordan; they had a great time and learned all about wand magic. They taught their new friends the way the Owens witches did magic, those friends in turn taught their parent. Soon all of America would have a new way of doing magic. Luis was still tutoring them in etiquette and they could pull off Lordships with the best of anyone their age, Luis was now branching into the difference between political etiquette and social. All three boys hated being stuffed shirts, but knew it was important.

Kippy was now working for All Things Wicca, as a merchandise runner. She would gather anything from magical warehouses and bring them to the store; she also stocked the shelves at night when the store was empty. She still worked at the house, but it was more of cleaning where she lived then maid services. So now she got paid ten -G- a month for part-time work. There were soon other free elves asking for work in the Alley, it was a new trend to hire free house elves.

The Owens household started getting the Daily Prophet, Evie said the needed it to be kept up to date as to what was happening in England. Neville’s grandmother was often in the social pages, so they knew what she was up to.

Sirius had finally got his trial and was freed. He put an ad in the paper, stating that he had things he had to do, and that he would not be looking for his godson, as he had it on good authority that the boy was alright. He did publically denounce the headmaster for not making sure he got his trial earlier. Though the two were seen in a restaurant talking, and people held their breath to see if they reconciled their differences. The Blacks were a powerful family, and Dumbledore would do well not to alienate them.

“Looks like you godfather is quite the ladies’ man, Harry,” Neville commented on the newest article on Sirius escorting the fifth woman that month to a formal dinner with the Minister.

The boys were gathered in the play room with snacks and homework. Cookie crumbs and milk were spattered on the floor. Many newspapers were strewed around the room and books were scattered everywhere. Papers and pencils were all over the floor just waiting for someone to step on them, so they could do what discarded pencils do and make that person slip. They had TV trays set up as desks so that they didn’t have to go to the study room and use the desks there. They figured desks were for school or adults and they were just kids. Besides, all the cool toys were up here. The only time they used the study room is if they needed the computer. They had just finished their social studies, which is why they were reading the paper.

“I’m not sure whether to be embarrassed or proud,” Harry admitted.

“Why do you think he’s acting that way?” Jordan asked, still at the age were girls were icky.

“Aunt Gilly said he is sewing his wild oats, whatever that means,” Harry said with a shrug, he was just getting to the point where girls might not be so icky after all. But then again his Aunt Gilly was never shy around men and they made sure the boys knew the birds and the bees the very first time they asked, when they were six.

“Do you really think he’ll come here?” Jordan asked, looking at the dark haired man’s photo. He looked like a gentleman with his neatly combed shoulder length hair and dark green dress robes, he was a long way away from the demented man he looked like a month prior.

Harry shrugged. “Your mom and Death both said he would. I’ve read some about him in my parents’ journals and he is quite a troublemaker. I only hope he gets on well with the Aunts.” Though, he had a feeling that Sirius and Gilly would get along very well. They seemed to be like-minded people, if the articles were anything to go by. Both were very attractive, and both seemed to be free spirited. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that, Gilly was like a mom to him, for all they called her Aunt.

“We’d better get this room clean before Kippy comes home from work and kills us,” Neville said looking around at the disaster the play room was in. so the boys’ started waving their hands and paper stacked, books went in bags, pencils when in their boxes, cookie crumbs and milk stains vanish and the rest of the room straightened itself out. “I love magic,” the boys intoned together, just like they did every time they used it to clean up their mess.

Jordan soon went home and the two cousins stayed in the play room practicing their magic.

The aunts decided that it was time for the boys to write to their British relatives. They felt they could now get the boys to understand what they could and couldn’t tell them.

“Boys, can you come here please?” Jet called up the stairs.

“Coming, Aunt Jet,” came the reply.

A herd of buffalo stampeded down the stairs; well that’s what it sounded like anyway.

The boys joined the Aunts in the kitchen at the little breakfast table. It was easier to get the boys to eat in the kitchen now that Luis was giving them lessons in the dining room. There were stacks of parchment and some quills, as well as some lined paper and pencils, sitting off to the side. This was weird, because they never casually used parchment at home, only for their magical homework. It was too expensive.

“What’s up?” Harry asked, grabbing some of the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies on the table. The aunts did so love their chocolate.

“We wanted to talk to you about something,” Gilly said pouring herself some juice. “You know we write to your British relatives, right?”

The boys’ nodded eyes alit with curiosity.

“Well, we think it’s time you start writing them. Now that Sirius is out of prison, I think it would go a long way in helping him heal if he heard from Harry,” she stated keeping her eyes on Harry’s face to see how he’d take it.

“Really, that’s great. I’ve always wanted to talk to someone outside of the US,” Harry enthused, his eyes brightened at the notion.

“Yeah,” Neville added, “I want my grandmother to know that I know all about her and you guys are not keeping her a secret or something.”

“Okay, now some of the rules,” Jet said and then held up her hands to stop the questions. “I know you don’t like rules, we don’t like them either. But, if we are to keep you safe there have to be guidelines. They are actually very simple. One, you can’t tell the where you are. We have Kippy pop all around the world to mail our reports, so that the postmark is never the same. That one is the simple one,” she explained.

“Two,” Frances continued, “you can’t tell them about your school, well you can tell them you’re doing well, however, you can’t tell them the name or what you are studying. It would be easy to find you if you gave them the curriculum. Say you told them you were really into football, how the game was played and what the score was. Anyone looking for you would only have to find the countries that allowed football in the school look at the scores and find you. Or if say you tell them you’re studying non-magical studies, I know there are only a few countries that do that, so it would narrow it down a lot,” she concluded, hoping the boys understood.

The two boys nodded in understanding. “So,” Neville said, “we just say something like, ‘Hey, I’m doing really well in my studies. My guardians are proud and you would be too.’ Or something like that?”

“Well, you might not want to mention us in that context, it might hurt their feelings that they are not here for you. Maybe just say you’re doing well and that you hope to stay at the top of your class. And that when you finally meet them you hope they are proud. Make it about them. Remember, they lost their families and need to know that you guys consider them part of yours even though you’ve never meet,” Gilly answered her nose scrunched up in the cute little way she had when she was puzzling something out.

“Three, and this is going to be the hard one,” Frances said, tapping her finger on the table. “No pronouns, you can’t say ‘the aunts’ or ‘she’, or if you tell them about your friends you can’t say ‘he’. I know that one is hard, because we have issues with it. But, Evie said that it was necessary. If the letters get intercepted then it can be deduced that you are around a family with three female witches. And with the work we’re doing for the government we are a little more public than we like. So just keep it to they and them. So if you are talking about us say, ‘our guardians are happy we are doing well, they give us cookies when we get done with our homework.’ Or ‘one of my guardians took us to shopping yesterday, they bought me a book.’ that way they never know how many people are around you,” she explained. She didn’t like that they had to take such great measures, but Evie said it must be that way.

“Okay, I think I got it,” Harry said excitedly, every since he had heard about his godfather he had wanted to write him. Neville felt the same about his grandmother. Though, he knew more about her, because Kippy would tell stories about his family. Sometimes he felt sorry that Harry didn’t have anyone to tell about his. Harry did have journals but most of them started when his parents went into hiding and were about the measures and spells they were using to keep them safe. There were few entries about his mom, dad and his dad’s friends and what they did in school, reminiscing.

“One more thing,” Gilly said ignoring the groans, “no slang, so words like ‘dude’, or ‘awesome’ are out. Just use their name and say wonderful like a normal human,” she teased ruffling their hair to show she was kidding. “You don’t have to be formal, just casual with proper words. Also keep the ‘like’ to a minimum that is a USA thing.”

“So, why don’t you two write a draft and we’ll look it over and see if it is okay,” Jet suggested, handing paper and pencils to the two boys. “Use these for your drafts and you can write your final letter in parchment and ink.”

And so they did. It took five different drafts but Harry’s final letter was thus:

**Dear Sirius**

**It was a very good day when I learned you were no longer incarcerated. I am happy that you are now free. And hope that you are now in good health. I’ve heard of the creatures that guard Azkaban and I have to say they scare me. Take all the time you need to heal. I’ll need you healthy so that I have family somewhere. And I do consider you my only living family in England. So if you won’t do it for you, then do it for me and take care of yourself.**

**If you continue to get yourself in the paper then I will know what you are doing, making it easier to have something to write about next time. For example, I’m not sure it is a good idea to make an enemy of a powerful man like Dumbledore, though I do understand why you are angry with him. It might just be best to ignore him. I also noticed that you are quite a ladies man. Are you trying to make up for the time you were away? Please be careful.**

**I wanted you to know that I am alive and well taken care of. I can tell you only a little about myself, but not much in case someone else sees this letter. I am in a good school, and I am doing well at my studies. I like sports, and one day hope to win for my team. My guardians are treating me well, and I can want for nothing.**

**I wish there was some way we could communicate. It would be nice to know someone from my home country, who can tell me about my family. There were some journals in the trunks that came with me and those helped me get a good picture of what you and my father were like in school. I have to say some of the stuff you pulled was rather mean. I hope that you’ve grown up since then because I would hate to think badly of the only family I have left.**

**I did want to let you know that we will see each other one day. It is in the stars, so to speak. Take care and please, behave.**

**Harry**

Neville had an easier time of it, because he had all the stories.

**Dear Grandmother Longbottom**

**I hope this letter finds you well. I have read the stories in the paper and see that you are staying in the upper class social circles, this makes me happy. To know that you didn’t seclude yourself away from the world after we both lost our loved ones, gives me hope that we will have a good relationship when we are finally reunited.**

**As you’ve seen from the reports sent to you I’ve grow up well. I am doing well in school and hope to one day graduate at the top of my class. It is early yet, so we will have to see.**

**My guardians are taking very good care of me and they make sure I want for nothing. It was a very good thing you did sending the person you did to help them. I am very thankful for you for that. That person has told me stories about the Longbottom family and it helps me to feel closer to you. It is my sincerest hope that one day we can sit and exchange these stories together.**

**If you continue to be seen about town and get your name in the paper I will know what you are doing.**

**Your grandson**

“These are pretty good, guys,” Gilly said after reading them over. “Don’t worry it gets easier, it took us forever to get it right. For the longest time the only thing we sent was photos. Then after your grandmother started showing up in the paper we put the ages on the back and what the date was. Then we would put something like ‘got a haircut today’ or ‘made his ball change color’ simple stuff that helped them feel that they were not being left out. But, like you we couldn’t get to personal. Which is a shame, Sirius looks like he could be great fun to know.” A flirtatious look came to her face, confirming what Harry was thinking earlier, she would have fun with Sirius.

“Okay, lovelies, put them in the envelopes and give them set them over by the door. Kippy will take them tomorrow. Speaking of Kippy who wants to surprise her by making dinner?” Frances said handing an envelope to each boy.

“I do,” came two replies. They so liked surprising Kippy, she still got very happy when they did. And they like the fact that she was so independent now.

“What say we make some good ole’ American, hotdogs and mac and cheese. Kippy loves that meal and if I remember correctly she had a big shipment today. So she may be tired,” Jet said leading everyone to the appliances.

And with that the Owens family set about making one of their own feel better with their favorite dinner.

 

 

 


	20. Chapter 20: The Sub and the Bullies

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one too. Mrs. Fry is based on a substitute that I had all through elementary school, though my Mrs. Fry was strict she wasn’t quite the bitch this one is. She was actually one of my favorite subs, hence me using, if abusing her.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_March 15, 1991_ **

Harry, Neville and Jordan had been in school for two years now and the two Owens boys would soon be turning eleven. Jordan had already had his birthday in January. And they were enjoying the classes. They were now taking Runes, Arithmancy and higher math, and were progressing far in their languages. They loved that this was an accelerated school. Their education was much higher than the schools such as Hogwarts, and since they knew they would be going back sometime in the next few years, they were hopeful that they would be prepared for what was to come.

When the boys got to school one Thursday, they noticed that their current teacher Mr. Howard wasn’t there. There was a female teacher at the desk and she didn’t look like anyone they wanted to know or even interact with. She was older woman that had grey hair, which was pulled into a severe bun on the back of her head; it was so tight that it made the wrinkles on her face pull back like she had had plastic surgery or something. She had half-moon glasses that were connected with a string that was looped around her neck. She was dressed like an old fashion schoolmarm in a plain black dress that you could see a white shirt peeking out of the neck. Everyone took their seats and waited to see what was going on.

Ms. Mumford was watching the lady with hawk eyes. She hated when people unknown were around her charges.

“My name is Mrs. Fry,” the woman stated in a Scottish accent as she wrote her name on the blackboard. “I will be your substitute for the next two weeks. Mr. Howard had a family emergency and was called away. I will not tolerate any horse play or rule breaking in my class. Speaking of which, Mr. Owens you will remove your hat immediately,” she demanded, looking hard at Harry so he knew exactly who she was talking about.

A few of the bullies in class snickered, only to stop when her piercing glare turned to them.

“Sorry, Ms. Fry, but I can’t do that. Didn’t they tell you that I have permission to wear this hat?” Harry replied in his most polite tone. Not really seeing what the problem was, he had been wearing hats to school for two years.

“No one is above the rules, Mr. Owens. Remove it or be sent home,” she barked.

“No,” Harry said firmly, his green eyes sharpening with defiance. The aunts had always told the boys to stick up for themselves even with an adult. You could hear all Harry’s friends and family protesting the treatment he was receiving from this woman.

“Mrs. Fry,” Agent Mumford said turning the subs attention to her, “you were told that Harry can wear his hat in class and the reason why. Why are you demanding he remove it now?”

“It is the stupidest reason I’ve ever heard. A curse scar indeed. This little brat is only trying to get attention. I will not have it,” Mrs. Fry snapped, never in all her years of teaching elementary school had she had a student, let alone an assistant, stand up to her. Her physical appearance usually warned them that she would not have it. “Why are you even in this class, Ms. Mumford? None of the other classes have teacher’s aides,” she questioned her eyes narrowing. She had no idea why this witch was in the non-magical side of the school and felt it undermined her authority.

Mrs. Fry was a Squib and really didn’t like magical children, she had been banished from her home in Scotland when she was eleven and didn’t get her letter for Hogwarts, confirming her families fear that she was non-magical. She normally didn’t teach magical children, she was only a sub and it was rare they needed them in the combined schools. Had there not been a shortage of Squib substitutes at the agency that day, she would not have stepped foot in this class. She had been mollified by her supervisor that they behaved as any non-magical students, but she could see by the insubordination in this boy that they did think less of her for being a Squib. Oh, how wrong she was, they didn’t like her because she was a pushy old woman and they’d known her for less than five minutes.

“What I’m doing here is none of your concern. I have followed this class since day one, and the principal knows who I am and why I am here. It is really none of your business, I have the correct credentials, and permission to be here, just like Harry has permission to wear his hat at all times. I think we should take this to the principal and get it straightened out,” Ms. Mumford answered as she stood and went directly to the old woman, who obviously had a problem with the school. She grabbed the protesting woman’s arm and marched her to the door.

“You can’t do this! I was hired to teach this class and was told I can do it my way. How dare you, you stupid witch, unhand me before I have you arrested,” Mrs. Fry started yelling as she was dragged away.

“Class, get out your Latin books and start reading chapter twenty-two. I will be leaving this door open and telling Mr. Frank, next door, to keep an ear out for you, so no playing or fighting. If I come back and find that door closed there will be a price to pay,” the agent commanded, you could feel her Veela heritage in waves around the room, and no one wanted to see a pissed off Veela. Which was unusual for her, most of the time she was quiet and only helped the class if they needed it, she had never taken command before. Harry, Neville and Jordan knew she could, she had been a fair but strict tutor to them.

The class shuffled to comply. Books were removed from the desks and most of the class sat quietly and started to read, until one of the well-known bullies stood up and went to Harry’s desk. He knocked the book off and got in the dark haired boys space. “You think you’re so smart, always getting your way. I’ve always wanted to know what was under that hat of yours. I think I’m going to find out” he said grabbing the bill of the fedora and tried to yank it off.

Harry placed his hand on top of the hat and at the same time pushed the bully back with his free hand. “You’re and idiot Gary if you think I’m going to let you do that. Have the few times we’ve ‘talked’ not taught you anything, stupid?” he replied, glaring at the other boy. These two had been butting heads from day one, when this moron tried to pick on him because he was short. He had put the notion that short people couldn’t defend themselves quickly out of Gary’s head, but that didn’t stop the other boy from continuing to try. This is why Harry felt the other boy either stupid or crazy, or both.

One of Gary’s friends had closed the door, so that the other teacher couldn’t hear what was going on and then went to back his friend. Neville and Jordan got up and went to stand by Harry. The other kids got up from their desks and either created a circle around the group or went off to the side as to not be caught up in a fight, if one broke out.

“You think you’re above the rules, just because you can teach new magic. You’re not, you are just a short, dummy that likes attention,” Gary said pushing Harry back into Neville, who steadied his cousin and glared at the bully.

“You would do well to keep your hands to yourself, Pissant,” Harry said in his most pompous voice. Luis said when confronted by ‘lessers’ to make sure you come off as polite as you can, so no one thinks you are instigating the fight and doing you best to quell it.

“Listen to the way you talk, what the hell does that even mean? You talk like you some uppity-up and are better than the rest of us. You’re not you know,” Gary said and it looked like his friends agreed, —though the rest of the class didn’t, they knew Harry and his family and they were always treated well by them— Harry would never teach Gary and his minions the new form of magic. The other boys not knowing that if they had asked and not demanded then they would have taught them no problem, however all three friends had a problem with idiots who thought the world was theirs to command. They blamed in on the other boys’ parents, if the aunts and Evie could teach the boys’ to be strong, but not greedy, than anyone could teach their children the same.

Gary and his friends started moving towards the three boys’ that were doing nothing but standing there arms crossed and glares firmly in place. Harry, Neville and Jordan weren’t going to do anything that would get them in trouble, so they just let them advance and hoped that Mr. Frank showed up soon, just because the door was closed didn’t mean the raised voices didn’t carry down the hall. And as luck would have it Mr. Frank chose that moment to enter the room.

“What is going on here, you children were told to read, not interact,” the tall light haired teacher demanded.

“Harry here thinks he is better than anyone and won’t show us what’s under his hat,” Gary said like that was supposed to help his position.

“Mr. Livens, take your seat, the rest of you as well. You don’t need to know more than you already do about Mr. Owens scar,” Mr. Frank said coming to the six students facing off. The rest of the class quickly complied, Mr. Frank was not one to be disobeyed and while he was not a mean teacher, he had no problem putting you in detention, and now that there were extracurricular activities, no one wanted to stay after school, nor did they want a note to go home to their parents.

With one last glare Gary and his friends reluctantly took their seats. Harry and his friends went to take theirs, but Mr. Frank stopped them. “I will be telling Ms. Mumford what I saw, I will also be sending a note to all the guardians and parents on what I saw when I came in. I just wanted you to know that I commend you for not fighting back. Since there were no punches thrown then there will be no detention,” he explained not wanting these boys to think they were in trouble.

Ms. Mumford came back, without Mrs. Fry at that time, and the two teachers talked. She sent a grateful look to Harry and the other two boys. She called the three bullies to the front, handed them a note and sent them to the principal’s office. Since she was just an aide she couldn’t really discipline them. The rest of the day was spent reading and discussing what they read. There would be a new sub tomorrow, hopefully a better qualified one.

Harry and Neville went home with the notes, not really worried. It took a lot to get the aunts angry.

“Oh, my darling little boy, I am so sorry you have to face such hardships, Death did warn us after all. Well no matter a bit of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies will raise your spirits right up,” Frances said giving Harry a big hug, which he tried to struggle out of, he was ten now and didn’t need cuddles.

“And you, my big man, standing up for your cousin. I think you deserve cookies as well,” Jet said in the typical manner the elder aunts used to defuse any tense situation.

“To bad you guys didn’t get a few hits in,” Gilly said, since the whole Jimmy thing she had learned to physically defend herself and taught the boys all the dirty fighting she knew. No one was going to lay a hand on her again.

“Aunt Gilly, we were in school, we can get suspended for fighting. If we were in town believe me there would have been fighting,” Harry corrected her.

“Well, I suppose that’s for the best,” Gilly said ruffling his hair, glad that he didn’t have to wear the hat at home, yet saddened that he had to wear it at all, but they just couldn’t take the chance even here across the pond. “I am proud of you for standing up to that old biddy of a teacher,” she said giving Harry her own hug.

“Yeah, I have no idea what that b… woman’s problem was. I didn’t even do anything to her. All I did was sit down. I’m just glad she didn’t come back,” he said, glad things didn’t progress further than they had. But now that they were home there were cookies to be had.


	21. Chapter 21: Jordan’s Letter and the Weird Dog

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one too. Since this is a crossover I added the complete letter, just in case there are only Practical Magic fans only.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel) Robin Swicord (screenplay) and Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) and Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_August 1, 1991_ **

The Owens boy’s birthday passed, they didn’t get a Hogwarts letter. The wards hid them that well. They wondered what the school in Scotland thought about that. Jordan got his though, since he was born in England and was on the enrollment book. They were sitting outside watching the clouds float through the summer sky.

“Hey, Jordan?” Harry said as he turned his head to his friend. “Do you have your letter? I want to see what it says.”

“Yeah, sure, let me get it from my backpack,” Jordan said, and ran to the house to get the letter. He always carried his backpack with him. It had all the candy he tried to hide from his mum.

The older boy came back a few minutes later, envelope in hand. “I’ve already read it once, with mum, and it is funny. Well to me it is, knowing that we go to a better school. Here let’s take a look,” he said sitting back down.

The other two boys sat up and they all gathered next to each other, so they could read it together. The envelope contained two pieces of parchment and they said:

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**Dear Mr. Hilton,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Deputy Headmistress**

Second page said:

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**UNIFORM**

**First-year students will require:**

**1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

**3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)**

**Please note that all pupils’ clothes should carry name tags.**

**COURSE BOOKS**

**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1); by Miranda Goshawk**

**A History of Magic; by Bathilda Bagshot**

**Magical Theory; by Adalbert Waffling**

**A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration; by Emeric Switch**

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi; by Phyllida Spore**

**Magical Drafts and Potions; by Arsenius Jigger**

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; by Newt Scamander**

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection; by Quentin Trimble**

**OTHER EQUIPMENT**

**1 wand**

**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**

**1 set glass or crystal phials**

**1 telescope**

**1 set brass scales**

**Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus**

**Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions**

After reading the letters, the three boys fell to the ground and laughed hysterically. That was the lamest thing they had ever read.

“Oh my god, are they serious?” Neville asked after his laughter tapered off. “What kind of acceptance letter is that? Who even send an acceptance letter to a student from a school that was never even applied for?”

“Yeah, I mean seriously, it should be an invite not this,” Harry said still trying not to start laughing again. His shoulder shaking with the repression.

“Don’ know,” Jordan said, looking at the letter again. “Mum, said this was what they sent every year. You’d think someone would have told them by now how lame it is.”

“Yeah, I mean, totally, there have to be first-generations that get letter from acceptable non-magical school that show what a real invitation should look like.” To the boys England was just beyond weird. Now that they were reading this letter it confirmed that fact to them. It made the impression that their own school was far superior. And gave them hope that whatever challenge they would be facing would not be much of one.

“Look at that supply list, they have to pay for a school and buy their own books. Wonder what the school does with all the money they save?” Neville said a thoughtful look on his face. He was sure that a private school like Hogwarts had tuition, though it wasn’t stated in the letter.

“Yeah, mum said it almost strapped her family, paying for all that each year. She said that Hogwarts was this huge castle and though it was beautiful, it was cold and damp. And in some of the classrooms it was hard to concentrate with the drafts that would blow in to her robes,” Jordan confirmed. “so they aren’t spending it on improvement to the school, which is what it is supposed to be for. They even have a ghost for a teacher. So they aren’t paying for him, totally crazy if you think about it.”

“That’s another funny thing, robes, really at this day and age. Don’t they know that they are cumbersome and get in the way of potion making?” Harry asked with a shake of his head and a wrinkle of his nose. They were starting potions in two years, but the Herbology teacher was giving them pointers on how to dress in that class, so they wouldn’t be unprepared.

They will be starting Rune and Magical Creatures next year and they were all looking forward to it, especially Jordan, he liked animals.

“Well at least me and Jordan don’t have to wear a hat,” Neville said knocking Harry over, and grabbing the fedora off his head. “Not like they’ll let you wear this anyway, they would probably not let you wear a hat at all, what with them wanting you to be their hero. They would want to make sure your scar showed to everyone.”

Harry got up grabbed his hat from his cousin and shoved him down. The three boys wrestled around for a few minute, the letters getting crumbled with the boys rolling on top of them. After they were done, Neville coming out on top, they picked the forms back up so they could read and make fun of the rest.

“Will you look at the few supplies and books they have? I wonder if they even learn anything in their first year,” Harry said, feeling kinda sorry for the children who attended this school. It was hard to believe its claim at being the best wizarding school in all of Britain.

“Yeah, there’s only eight, and most of them are probably for one class only,” Neville agreed with a nod of his head.

“Mum says they only have six classes and only take one to three classes a day. Makes you wonder what the students do the rest of the time,” Jordan said as he tried to get the grass off his knees.

“One to three classes a day!” Harry exclaimed in disbelief. “How the hell are they supposed to learn anything?”

“Oh, it gets worse,” Jordan said, giving up on the grass stains that littered his pants, “they have Herbology four times a week. And the important classes once or twice. Potions is only once a week for three hours.”

Harry just shook his head in exasperation, he was more glad than ever that he and Neville were brought to the aunts. They would have been so repressed had they stayed in England.

The boys dissected the letters for a few more minutes until they got bored. There was nothing they could do to help their countrymen from the poor education they were paying for. They only hoped that when Harry and Neville returned and took their positions in the government that they could change it.

**Hppmhppm**

A few days later the Owens family was once more enjoying the comforts of their home town, they were strolling to the park so the boys could play at the playground and were going to get ice cream after. Harry spotted the man and the dog again, and though he knew from his father’s journals that these two could be the werewolf and the Animagus, he didn’t want to take the chance. Besides, every time he looked their way the two would quickly duck out of sight, not before Harry saw the longing in their eyes. After this time though Harry decided that he would write to Sirius and tell him that he had seen him and his friend.

**Dear Sirius,**

**It has been a while since I’ve seen you in the paper. I hope you are doing well. Sorry, I can’t tell you more about my life, I pray that you understand.**

**I wanted to tell you a funny story. We were walking in town one day and I saw a man and his dog talking to one another. Well the dog didn’t say anything, but it was nodding like it understood. Do you think dogs understand English? Maybe, it’s a magical dog. If there is such thing I think I will look into getting one for myself.**

**I was told by a very important, yet scary, person that you are on a mission. I hope it goes well for you and that you can complete it in due haste. Maybe around that time I can get a dog like the one I saw in town. Do you think that would be a good idea? A dog to protect me from all the people still looking for me.**

He handed the letter to Gilly and asked if it was coded enough. According to the journals, no one but the Marauders knew they were Animagus. So it shouldn’t give anything away if it was ever intercepted. But it should also let the two men know that Harry knew who and what they were, and why they didn’t approach him. And that they were welcome when they could finally come to him. He really wanted to know the man who was his father’s best friend. He wasn’t sure about having a werewolf around though.

Death had explained the mission he gave Sirius, though the deity was slightly put out that Sirius had brought the werewolf into his complete confidence. Especially since Remus, the werewolf in question, had been so loyal to Dumbledore in the past. Death told Harry that when he found out he went to the dogfather immediately and forced him to have the other man take a complete vow of trust. Remus did and Death wasn’t quite as upset anymore, not that he ever really felt the emotion.

“Aunt Gilly, do you think the other guy with him is the werewolf? If it is do you think Sirius will bring him with him when he comes?” Harry questioned, his face went from serious and took on a worried look. “What if it is? Do we trust a werewolf around you guys, and Neville, not to mention me?” since they had not had Magical Creatures or Potions yet, and it hadn’t been covered in Magical Theory this year; he didn’t know about Wolfsbane potion.

“Don’t worry, honey,” Gilly said giving her nephew a hug to relieve his worry, “Evie says there is a potion for him, and she knows where he can spend the full moon. There are shelters here in America just for that purpose. Sirius has enough money to pay for that. She said it will be alright.” Hugging the worried boy tighter.

“Well, I trust Evie, so I’ll stop worrying about this for now,” Harry said breaking the hug and went to find Kippy to mail the letter.

 

**Hppmhppm**

**_August 15, 1991 Grimmauld Place, England_ **

Sirius had just got the mail and was ecstatic that there was a letter from Harry, the boy had been pretty good at keeping in touch with him and he was glad the aunts had sent the progress reports all the years he was in prison. He ran back to the house in dog form to get there quicker. Remus was living with him now and would want to read the letter from Harry.

After Sirius was let out, he found Remus and invited his destitute friend to live with him. He told the werewolf about his visit from Death and what he had been tasked with. Remus had gone to Knockturn Alley and acquired two house elves, making sure to get ones that had been freed and wanted a home. They used the elves to help them get the horcruxes from the Malfoy manor, with the help of Malfoys own house elf, that crazy little elf really hated his master and since he had never been told not to take the diary, he used the loophole to hand it off too Blacks house elf.

They used the map to get into Hogwarts over the summer and it took a week before they smarted up and asked the house elves there. They found the room that was full of junk, obtained the headpiece, removed it, took it to the goblins and had them destroy it —for a price. Sirius was entertained at how the normally vicious goblins bent over backwards to help him. He knew it was because they were afraid of Death, that didn’t make Sirius less amused. After he had told his account manager what Death had told him about one being in the bank, the little buggers tore the Death Eaters vaults apart to find it. It was then they started treating Sirius like he was a goblin instead of a wizard, not that it was much of an improvement.

It was with Remus’ help he found the locket in his own house. And according to Death that left only one more to find. Sirius was hoping to get that out of the way so he and Remus could go to Harry.

Pulling himself from his thought as he got closer to his childhood home, he burst into the now clean house. When he had first been freed he thought of selling the decrepit old place. He hated the memories it brought to him, but after some harsh months of mind-healing it was decided that he was the type who needed to face his fear and not run from it. So he kept the house and killed that blasted house elf, Kreacher, without a moment’s hesitation. He blew up the wall that had his mother’s portrait on in and was glad it wasn’t a lode bearing wall. He informed all the other portraits he would do the same to them if they gave him any bother.

He found Remus sitting at the long kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea, waiting patiently. Sirius grabbed a cup of his own and sat next to his best friend. They opened and read the letter together. Sirius sighed and said, “Damn, either he is that good or we suck at hiding.”

“I think it is a little of both,” the older of the two men suggested.

“I wonder why he didn’t ask how we found him, of course he probably wanted to but it would give away the game too soon,” Sirius said scratching his head.

“How did you know where he was?” Remus asked giving his full attention to the man next to him. “I’ve asked before, but you never answer. Now that you’ve told me all your other secrets I think it is time you come clean with this one.”

“Oh, yeah, well we were going to tell you after we were sure you weren’t the spy. But me and James did the godfather ritual. That means….” He trailed off when Remus interrupted him.

“I know what that means. But, why didn’t you use this to get yourself out of Azkaban?” Remus asked.

“Well, I didn’t want Dumbledore to know I could find Harry at any time. He would have never stopped having me followed. It took months for that barmy old man to leave me alone as it was. If it hadn’t been for you than we would have never found the horcruxes we did. Now that there is only one more left we can disappear when we’ve destroyed it and go to the boys. I talked to Augusta and she is all for someone going to make sure that they are learning all they need to,” Sirius explained. “I mean, I know the women said they were, but really what do they know about British politics?”

“Well, judging from what we’ve seen of them, I wouldn’t underestimate them if I was you,” Remus said narrowing his eyes just a bit to get his point across.

“Yeah, but did you see the younger bird, she is adorable. Just my type too,” Sirius said with a dreamy look in his grey eyes.

Remus smacked his friend on the back of the head, “Snap out of it, Sirius. Do you really want to strike up a relationship with the woman your godson considers his mother?”

“Well, maybe, I mean look at her, she’s completely beautiful,” the dark haired man stammered. Though, he had been playing the field since his release he had not found a more attractive woman than the youngest Owens.

Remus just shook his head at his disillusioned friend and hoped he didn’t cause too much trouble when they finally went to New Salem.

The two discussed how to get the last soul anchor so they could get this mission over with and start the new one. It would take some planning to disappear, but with the, oh so helpful, goblins they had faith that in the next year they could pull both off.


	22. Chapter 22: Family Reunion

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Flying solo on this one too.**

_AN2: So far the suggests have narrowed down to either a houseboat or yacht brought by a whirlpool. My main problem is the yachts of that time were small. Any suggestions or knowledge would be helpful. Send me a pm or to my email on my profile with a pic or description of the houseboat or yacht._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_July 31, 1992_ **

The whole family was there to celebrate Harry Potter’s and Neville Longbottom’s 12th birthday. They consisted of the Hallets: Sally, Gary, Kylie, Antonia (Tonia), the Owens: Aunt Frances, Aunt Bridget (Jet), Aunt Gillian (Gilly), and the Hiltons: Evie, Finley, Jordan and of course Maisie. The tables were loaded with presents and food. The wind was blowing softly through the trees. Various cats were chasing butterflies. The sun was shining brightly in the sky. A sprinkler was set up to cool off on this hot summer day. The children with the two teen Hallet girls, were laughing and playing around the large green backyard. Everyone was happy.

Kippy had the day off work and was running around making sure that everyone had what they needed. Gilly cast a _glamour_ on her to make her look like a small woman. She no longer wore bathrobes, now she wore a nice floral dress that made her look very adult-like, albeit short. The glamour gave her long black hair to cover her rather large ears. She also wore a floppy summer hat to complete the allusion and made her look like a smaller version of the elder aunts.

Agent Mumford was at her office today, giving a progress report on the boys, there was enough witches there that they didn’t worry, as long as the family stayed inside the intent wards.

The adults were watching the children play a game of magical keep away. Maisie was the person trying to catch the ball, while the magical children floated it to each other. At first Finley was worried that his little girl would be put out, however, after he saw that the others were giving her a chance to actually catch it, he felt better.

Sally and Evie were going over potions for the shops; Evie had reopened Sally’s old shop here in town, with Gilly’s form of _Apparition_ it was simple enough to commute. Gary and Finley, being the only two adults with no magic, were discussing sports, like all men their age. The aunts were making sure the kids didn’t hurt one another; Gilly finally got tired of watching and joined in the game.

After hours of play they finally settled at the long table that was brought out where they had it stored for just these occasions. Chatter filled the air as everyone talked to everyone else. Food was passed around; silverware was clinking, bodies shuffled into more comfortable positions. There were two smaller tables set to the side, containing birthday presents for each boy. After a wonderful Kippy made lunch the laughing group went to the present tables.

“Okay, Harry you get the green table. Neville the blue,” Gilly said, directing the boys to the proper tables. A colored screen was added to the background, just like every year, so they could take the pictures for the boys’ relatives. The rest of the groups gathered around the two boys, sitting on the grass or chairs and their personality dictated. Gilly and Evie armed with magical cameras. No one noticed the two men hidden in the trees, just outside the wards.

“Do you want to go separate or together?” Aunt Frances asked settling in her chair. Her parasol held above her head, to keep the sun out.

“What do you think, Nev? Together?” Harry asked, tipping his fedora back on his head. He had taken to wearing it whenever he was outside. Luis said it was bad manners to wear it indoors and to only do that when he was in public, he would have to apologize to whosever’s house he was in and give his excuses, but it was good practice to wear it as often as he could when he was outdoors.

“Yeah. _Dude_ , you go first and then I’ll go next. It looks like we have the same amount of gift each,” the sun bleached blonde haired boy replied mockingly with a wink of his blue eye. He then waved his cousin to start.

“You got it, _Dude_ ,” Harry said with a smirk, a thumbs-up and a return wink. He then turned and grabbed the first present off the table and started ripping the paper off. Anyone who had ever been to the Owens boys parties knew not to waste good money on wrapping paper, it never lasted long.

The two boys only used the word ‘dude’ to make Sally cringe. She had just got her girls to stop using it. Out of all the Owens women Sally was the strictest. She put up with a lot, but there were more rules in her house then there were here in New Salem. And one of them was to speak proper English with not too much slang, which was hard with teens since they just did it out of her sight anyway. She had tried to get the aunts and Gilly to impose these rules to the boys, but they said they had enough enforcers in their lives with Luis, Kippy, and Evie that they needed to have someone who let them run wild. And the aunts were that someone.

Harry got: a red racing striped bicycle, some purple glow-in-the-dark spoke flapper thingy’s (he had no idea what they were called), a potions kit (with a chemistry kit to go with it), a football, a soccer ball, new cleats (for school games), a few hoodies, put together models of dragons (with paint), a weird puzzle ball, new plants for Smarty’s (his pet snake) terrariums and a new wand holster.

Neville got: a green vine decorated bicycle, the same yellow glow-in-the-dark spoke flapper thingy’s, two carnivorous plant terrariums (one magical one non, both supplied with food), water pistols, a new violin case (for band), a few hoodies, a book on famous mythical figures (and why they’re not), a weird puzzle square and a new wand holster.

Everyone clapped, cheered and took pictures of the two boys having a great time opening the awesome presents. Just as everyone turned to go and get cake, two more presents magically appeared on the tables. The adults took immediate control and ordered the kids to get behind them. The kids all complied, but with wands and hands at the ready. The two teens in front, right behind Sally and Gilly, the boys behind them, and Maisie in the middle, crouched in a small ball. The adults formed a circle around the children, all prepared to fight. Gary pulled his gun and the rest raised their hands in front of them incantations on the tip of their lips. Finley stayed behind the other adults but at the ready to grab and run if he had too. Kippy popped in front of the table and waved her hands around the gifts to make sure that they were safe.

“Kippy is feeling magic on the gifts, but it is not beings bad magic,” the house elf said after examining the presents.

“So do you think they are safe?” Gilly asked, still in fight stance. “Does it say who they are from?”

“The tags be saying they is from the dogfather, for Master Harry, and the wolfs for Master Nevilles,” Kippy replied, after reading the tags.

Harry and Neville got excited looks on their faces, they started to leave the circle, but Gary pushed them back. “Just because it says it’s from them doesn’t mean it is. Stay in there until we say otherwise,” came the deep baritone command from the Investigator. “Okay, let’s go over what we know. These two men are wand wizards, and that means they can’t be far. They have to be in sight to banish something to a place they’ve never seen,” he said, it was his job after all, to know about the people around him and how they thought.

“That’s right,” confirmed Evie, she started to relax; she felt it was going to be okay. But the Owens needed to do this to tighten any bond they were going to have with the two mischievous men.

“So, what? They are watching us right now? Should we get the kids in the house?” Sally started to panic, though she knew about the boys dogfathers, as they are called, she didn’t know what they were like in person.

Jet noticing Evie relax, calmed herself down, her hands fell to her side and she shared a look with her sister. Who also relaxed.

Gilly was having none of it. “Come out and face us,” she yelled into the trees. She was not the scared girl she used to be, when Jimmy had hit her, that had taught her that was no way to live. She took a page from Sally’s book and became stronger.

Two sheepish men materialized by the nearest tree, arms up in surrender. “We didn’t mean to frighten anyone, it was a joke,” the dark haired one said with a weak chuckle.

“We are very sorry; the prank was not taken as it was meant. Truly we meant and mean no harm,” the sandy-grey haired one said in a very placating voice.

“Wizards are so stupid,” Gilly huffed, but lowered her hands. “You know better than anyone that the boys are being hunted. Why would you think it would be a good idea to surprise them?” she snapped her questions, still angry. Though, her eyes did take in the hunky goodness of the dark haired, grey eyed man in front of her. She may be older, but she certainly was not dead.

“Honestly we didn’t think you would react like that.” The dark haired one said, also taking in the curvaceous blonde haired, blue eyed woman in front of him. She was the woman he had been dreaming about since the first time he laid eyes on her.

“Idiot,” Sally said, also relaxing, but still keeping the over-excited boys from running to the men they considered family.

“Okay, okay, we were stupid, can we all get over that and let me hug my godson?” Sirius asked, eyes greedily taking in the young black hair, green eyed, young wizard that was being held back.

“Honey, the wards won’t let him in if it is not him. Remember we set them up to hex anyone in disguise?” Jet reminded everyone gently.

A collective sigh ran through the group. Weapons disappeared and the circle opened. But before the boys could go and greet the two men Gary held up his hands. “If I reckon correctly, they are not inside the wards yet. Let them come in before you run off.”

Sirius and Remus stepped into the wards and since they had no ill intent nothing happened. Had they not been them or had they been under a mind-altering curse or potion the wards would have attacked and they would either have been thrown out or in vast amounts of pain. It depended on if their will was their own.

Seeing the two men unharmed Gary lowered his hand and the boys were off like a shot, the other kids followed more slowly. The men opened their arms and Harry flew to Sirius and Neville flew to Remus.

Neville had taken to writing Remus when he found out about the man, having no male figure in his life he decided he needed a dogfather too. So he adopted the werewolf.

There was a great deal of hugging, crying, the other two children clamoring with questions and two beaming men answering them as best they could. After ten minutes of noisy rugrats everyone settled at the table.

“How did you find us?” Harry asked sitting across from Sirius, Gilly by his side.

“My godfather bond. It’s…” Sirius answer and was interrupted by Frances who was sitting next to Neville.

“We know what it is, we just didn’t know you had done the ritual,” she said, smirk playing on her face. Relaxing the atmosphere more.

“Why won’t anyone ever let me explain that?” the _Animagus_ mock cried, laying his head on the table in fake tears.

“Poor, Padfoot, no one will let you show off the little knowledge you have,” Remus said patting his friend a little too hard on the back. Earning a glare from his friend.

“So, now that we know you guys are alright, let’s introduce everyone,” Finley said. And so they went around the table. Sirius and Remus went first because there were only two of them, then the Owens women, then the Hallets, then the Hiltons. Of course everyone already knew Harry and Neville.

“Hey, you forgot Kippy,” Harry said, indignant for his elf aunt.

“No, we didn’t sweetie, she can introduce herself,” Gilly said knocking off his hat.

Kippy chose that moment to pop in, her glamour still on. “I is being Kippy, yous are very bad dogs,” the little elf stomped her foot. “Yous is scaring the young Masters and Missys. Bad Bad Doggies,” she said in her squeaky voice, pointing her fingers at the abashed men. “yous better be being lucky Kippy is not taking newspapers to your naughty noses.” Everyone laughed and the last of the tension left the air.

The two men stared in awe and the rather bizarre house elf, they had never heard of never mind seen an elf look or act the way this one was. The only reason they could tell that this tiny looking woman was a house elf was the squeaky voice and the way she talked. They looked around at the magical people around the table and saw they were all used to this strange creature. They then knew they better tread lightly and treat her as part of the family.

“Sorry, ummm, Kippy was it? Yes, sorry, we didn’t mean to scare anyone. You were all having such fun and we wanted to join,” Sirius said, not use to talking to a house elf that looked human.

“Kippy is being knowing that, that is whys Kippy is not being smacking bad doggies on theirs noses. Yous better behaves or Kippy wills makes sure you gets no cake and puddings,” Kippy said with the stern look still on her glamoured face. Then she turned to the witches and said, “Kippy is being having stuffs to do’s Kippy wills come back and helps laters.”

“Thanks for the spoke thingys, Aunt Kippy,” Harry said confusing his godfather even more.

“Yeah, thanks, Aunt Kippy,” intoned Neville happily.

“Yous is being very welcomes, Little Masters,” Kippy said with a cheerful smile and a nod of her hat covered head. “Kippys has to be going nows.” And with that she popped away.

“So, pup, do you want to see what your present is?” Sirius asked taking his attention away from the weirdness.

“Oh yeah, I guess we kinda forgot about them in all the excitement,” Harry said running to grab the two presents. The presents were small and narrow, he picked both of them up, ran back to the table, handed Neville his and the two tore open the presents. “Ummm, mirrors, well ummm, that’s very nice of you,” he hedged, they were boys after all. What did they need with mirrors?

Remus and Sirius fell down laughing at the boys attempts to look appreciative. “They are magical calling mirrors. Like cell phones,” Remus explained after they pulled themselves together, noticing the affronted looks on the cousins’ faces. Remus, being a werewolf, could find little work in the wizarding world of Britain so did most of his jobs in the Muggle World and was up-to-date on the latest technology.

“Oh, neat. How do they work?” Neville said looking at the mirror with new appreciation. The rest of the children got up and moved behind the two boys so they could see.

“You just call the name of the person you want to talk to and your name will show up in their mirror. They say your name and you two can talk. Me and James used them all the time when we were in separate detentions,” Sirius explained, a small reminiscing smile on his face.

“That is sooo cool,” Harry said and immediately called Neville’s name. The two played with the mirrors and showed their families, everyone was appropriately excited with this new form of communication. This went on for about five minutes.

“Okay, put them away now and let’s eat some of Kippy’s wonderful cake,” Jet said calling a halt to the fun.

Happy Birthday was sung, cake was eaten, more games were played, the adults talked of nonessential things (not wanting to talk about the heavy stuff until tomorrow) and a good night was had by all. The Hiltons soon went home. The Hallets were staying at the house. Moony and Padfoot were in a motel for the next few days. Plans were made to meet up the next day. Everyone settled for the night happy with the way things turned out, frightening moment notwithstanding.


	23. Chapter 23: The Conversation

_AN: I added a little to the last chapter after realizing that I pretty much cut Kippy’s scene in half. Not much but a little more so she is left hanging there. Okay, so we’ve got houseboats and whirlpools for the way the boys will spend time at Hogwarts. I have had some wonderful suggestion and have a few ideas of my own. Too bad I don’t have Photoshop or I dussy up some pics for you guys on the magical houseboat I have in mind. Anyway keep sending me your suggestions. Special thanks to AriadneVenegas for keeping me from making a mistake._

_Warning: there is a bit of cussing in this chapter._

**Remember I am flying solo on this so there may be grammar and spelling errors, I do go through them three times before I post, without another set of eyes I miss stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Harry Potter wiki (which is where I do most of my research) Harry Potter is own by J.K. Rowling and all the people that she paid to make her rich. Wikia, Inc. was created from the minds of Angela Beesley and Jimmy Wales and supported and written by fans.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_The next day at 9 a.m._ **

The entire household, excluding a very put out Agent Mumford, was sitting eating a breakfast of fruit, eggs, cheese and grits (special for Gary). They were waiting on the two godfathers to come.

“So, what do we think of these guys?” Gilly questioned between bites of her grapefruit. Dress in her normal jeans and half-top, and barefoot, of course.

“Well, according to my dad’s journal, they were pranksters, but very smart. Especially Remus, he is something of a bookworm, but they were all really clever. They got in to all kinds of trouble, more than me, Neville and Jordan put together,” Harry said pushing his grits away and grabbing an apple. He was dressed in his normal wear of shorts and t-shirt, san hat, matching Neville; who was enjoying his grit with gusto.

“Yous is not liking Kippy’s cooking?” the affronted house elf look at him and asked, readjusting the strap to her dress on her narrow shoulders. Harry had never pushed away his food before. She didn’t have time to make anything else if she wanted to do some gathering in the garden before she had to work.

“Aunt Kippy, you know better than that. It’s just these grits are just that —gritty. It’s like eating sand with flavor or something,” Harry explained smiling at his littlest adopted aunt.

“It’s an acquired taste,” said Gary with a smirk and taking a relishing bite of his own grits, doctored with eggs and cheese. He looked at the three who declined the grits and said, “Ya’ll don’t know what yer missing.” And continued to appreciate his breakfast. Kippy had made them taste better than he ever could and he was going to enjoy every minute of it. He wore his usual flannel over-shirt on top of a grey t-shirt and jeans. His wife was wearing a simple white summer sleeveless summer dress.

“Yeah,” agreed Kylie who quite like the grits, she’d never had them until they moved back to Gary’s hometown of Tucson, Arizona. She was in blue shorts and a sea-green tank top that showed off her curves. Her sister was wearing a flowing white skirt, with matching mid-sleeved top; she looked like a grown forest fairy. Tonia didn’t like grits and was eating chocolate covered toast, much to her mother’s displeasure, but since she had fruit before, Sally let it go. She had been fighting that losing battle for years, Tonia loved her chocolate; she got it from the aunts.

The Aunt were wearing light long-sleeved dresses, Jet in dove grey (with ruffles) and Frances in muted black, for all they were flamboyant the color of their clothes didn’t give them away as much as the old-fashioned cut.

There was a knock on the door and Kippy went to get it. “There is being naughty dogs at the door,” they heard her yell, “Dos yous be wanting me to lets them in?”

“Kippy, dear heart, let the boys in so they can enjoy your marvelous breakfast,” Frances yelled back. She liked the grits too, so does Jet it seems.

“Okays, Missy Witchy Frances, thens Kippy is going to bes doing somes gardenings,” Kippy said and after she pointed the way to the two men she went to work on the garden until she had to leave for her job. She had already eaten, because as much as the boys called her Aunt, she was still a house elf and they don’t eat with family.

“Did I hear breakfast?” Sirius asked as he came into the dining room. He sat in the chair he was pointed to, next to Gilly, much to his delight. “Good Morning, everyone, we were too nervous to eat. Mind if we join you?” he asked and waited for Moony to sit at the other chair next to Sally. The two men looked at the, what to them, very light breakfast.

“Morning, try the grits with eggs and cheese,” Gilly suggested pointing to the large bowl of hot breakfast cereal in the middle of the table. After greetings were exchanged by everyone else, both men tentatively filled their bowls as recommended and took a bite. They both got satisfied grins and dug right in. The conversation after that stayed on the neutral side, until Agent Mumford arrived.

She conjured a chair for her to sit at the overcrowded table, sat down and then took note of the two new comers. The wards hadn’t flared so she knew they weren’t hostile. “You two,” Claire spat in greeting. “Do you know how much paperwork you caused for me, showing up like you did? Especially, when I wasn’t here? Are you even in this country legally? Do I have to run you in?” she asked quite angrily, leaning forward on the table hands pressed white in front of her, her aura flashed with flame.

Everyone put their spoon or fruit down ready to protect the two children and the non-magical at the table, if she got too mad. Gary had got up and moved the minute he saw the first spark, these witch folk were strange, in his mind. Though he did love his witch.

“Whoa, pretty lady, I have the papers in my jacket. If you promise not to throw fireballs at me, I’ll get them,” Sirius said with very little signs of self-preservation, making his friend bang his head on the table, almost causing his bowl to overturn. They knew what they were facing and really not scared, yeah an angry Veela was frightening looking, but they were actually easy to calm, if you get them before they shift to avian form, and rarely really hurt people. “We didn’t mean to cause you any trouble. To tell the truth, we don’t even know who you are.”

“I am, Agent Claire T. Mumford with the Special Division of the Magical Law Agency, assigned to protect the boys. I would have been here yesterday, but they promised not to step outside the wards. That doesn’t stop me from having to do a ton of paperwork, because you two don’t have the common curtesy to wait and go through proper channels,” she explained, but in a much calmer manner. She leaned a back away from the table and folded her arms across her chest, still slightly glaring at Sirius, who just returned it with a saucy one of his own. Remus, she knew from what she had read, wouldn’t be any trouble unless provoked, which was why she was focusing all her ire on the dog.

Sirius pulled out the paperwork for them to be in the country, it did say they could stay until the end of 1994, which was when everyone knew the boys would be heading to Merrie Olde England. If they wanted to come again, they would have to apply the same way. They had talked to the Agency and made sure that Dumbledore would never even know they applied to come here. Since the boys were under government protection, it was granted. They were not warned, however, about the half-Veela that was protecting the boys. They had caught glimpses of her around the Owens, but never made the connection.

The agent took the papers and read them, folded them back up and handed them back. “Sorry for ruining your breakfast, please continue. I’m done now… all calm,” she said with a sheepish grin on her face, smiling apologetically to the Owen and the Hallets. Everyone resumed eating, after copious warming spells on the grits and eggs.

After breakfast, they all went outside to relax in the beautiful sunny day. A light breeze was felt and helped along by Jet, not too much, just enough to keep everyone cool. They sat at two of the tables Kippy must have pushed together earlier, so everyone could see one another.

“Ummm okay, where to start? Well, as you know I’m Sirius Black and this bloke right here is Remus Lupin,” Sirius said nervously. It was one thing to write the boys, another to actually sit and talk seriously, no pun intended. “As you know I was shoved into prison for a little while, while I was there I got to talk to an interesting… man,” he hedged not knowing who knew what. “He gave me a mission that I’ve completed. He told me, this mission would help Harry when he had to face You-Know-Who…” he trailed off at their blank faces. “What? Don’t you know who You-Know-Who is? Didn’t he tell you?” he asked in complete shock, it was important news that they needed for when they go back.

“No, I don’t know who. I mean, I know who is on first, but not you-know-who. Is he important?” Harry asked in confusion, which caused laughter to the Americans and more confusion to the Brits. You could tell there were no capitals in the name, because to Harry anyone who can’t use their name wasn’t worthy of proper titles.

“What is so bloody funny? This is no laughing matter,” Sirius all but yelled, his face in horror that they were never told. Remus was trying to get his friend to sit back down and stay calm, to no avail. “Harry has to face You-Know-Who when he gets back to England, how is he supposed to train for that if you don’t even know who it is?”

“Ohhhh, you mean Voldemort, or Tom. Well why didn’t you just say so?” Neville asked finally catching on.

The two Marauders looked at the blonde child gobsmacked. “You said his name,” Remus said his eyes wide with surprise.

“Who is Tom?” Sirius asked at the same time, his face in a mix of shock and confusion.

Harry looked at the two older men as if they had lost their minds. “What do you mean, who is Tom? Tom is Voldemort. You mean to tell me that two grown-ass men are afraid to say a name. Really? A name? Like, a name can’t hurt you, can it?” he asked still looking at them like they were stupid.

“Sweetie, there might just be a reason for that, don’t judge.” Jet said soothingly.

“Yes, honey, calm down and let them explain,” Frances said, sending her nephew a comforting smile. Harry settled back waiting for an explanation, waving his hand impatiently at the two men to get on with it.

It was Remus, ever the educator, who answered, “Yes, well, there was a taboo on his name during the war. If you said the name, then his Death Eaters would find you and kill or torture you. Or worse take you to You-Know-Who, whose magic was very strong, none survived his games.”

“That’s fu… messed up,” said Harry, looking at his two girl cousins to make sure they didn’t almost catch his slip, but judging from the giggling they had. He wasn’t supposed to cuss in front of ladies, and they were the closest and most likely to hear, judging from the looks on all the Owens women faces they all heard. So he sheepishly looked sideways at his Aunt Sally and gave a small apologetic smile. She waved him off with a mock finger waggle.

“Yeah, but it was a very bad and dark war,” Sirius answered, shuddering just at the memory of the few times he saw Voldemort fight, that man was evil.

“Yes it was, and people all over Europe still fear his name today,” Remus said sternly. “Didn’t they teach you this in History?”

“We haven’t got to Europe yet. We’re in the Asian countries right now. What? You didn’t think you were the only country with a Dark Lord or Lady did you?” Neville asked a bewildered look on his face. This conversation kept going from funny to weird in a drop of a hat.

“No, of course not, but we aren’t taught about Dark Lords or Ladies at Hogwarts, we have to learn them all on our own. I just though you being who you were they would have taught you about that,” Remus said.

“Well, only the principal at our school knows who I am. We did do some self-study on Tom, but mostly just to find out who he was, and who might be working with him. Agent Mumford,” Harry said pointing at the quiet Agent, “wrote up a complete history. It never mentioned the stupid name or the taboo, so it must be something you Brits are keeping to yourselves.”

“Knowing our government, that is quite possible,” Sirius agreed he took a deep breath and tried to get back on track. “Okay, my mission, well I found all the things I needed to destroy in Europe, the man I talked about earlier didn’t tell me if there were more, but I got all mine. So I came to find you. I talked to Augusta before I left and she gave me a letter for Neville, with pictures and a gift. I kinda…,” he looked at Neville, who was starting to glare at him,”… ummm, well, I left if at the motel. I’ll bring it later, Okay? I am sorry. I was just so excited that I forgot.”

“Well, as long as it isn’t destroyed or something, I’ll let you off. But bring it as soon as you can.”

“What I want to know,” Gary butted in, “is what is your government doing to prepare for when this so called Dark Lord returns?” Everyone’s head turned to Sirius or Remus for the answer. No one wanted the kids to go in blind.

Both men looked at each other, looked at the expectant faces and then blushed and looked to the table. Not expecting that in the least, everyone looked at each other and you could see they were starting to get angry or upset as their personality dictates. Mostly angry though.

“What?” snapped Gilly almost shouting that one word.

“They’re not really doing anything,” Remus answered in a half whisper, still looking at the table, not wanting to see the scorn on the nice people’s faces.

“Why?” Sally asked her voice calmer, but still as firm as her sisters.

“Well, the Ministry doesn’t believe Dumbledore that he is coming back,” Sirius said looking up at women. “They’re idiots, they think as long as they deny it, it won’t happen. And if he does then it’s the Boy-Who-Lived’s job to protect them. That’s what they tell the public anyway.” He shrugged with a disgruntled look on his face, showing he didn’t agree, but had tried to get said idiots to see reason.

“You mean to tell me. That when he does come back, they are going to put all their hopes on a fourteen year old boy, who doesn’t even live in their country? One they have no clue is even still alive? Or knows anything about them?” the agent asked, she was going to have to report this. She only guessed that Harry would be fourteen when Voldemort came back, because that’s when Harry was returning.

“Yup, that about sums it up,” Sirius said with another shrug.

“Those fuckers,” Harry shouted exploding from his chair, knocking it over in the process, his anger could be seen all around him, like a cloud of magic was surrounding him and protecting him from harm. The gentle breeze turned colder and windy. He was very, _very_ put out that these idiots would do that to him.

The two English men waited for someone to correct his language, when no one did Remus opened his mouth to, but quickly shut it at the scathing looks he got from all four aunts.

“I have half a mind to let those assholes die in their holes they crawl into. If I didn’t know it was that bitch Fate’s doing, I would say screw them all and just let them die,” Harry ranted pacing back and forth in front of his aunts, until Gilly grabbed him and sat him on her lap.

“Shhh, sweetie, shhh, calm down now, or your magic is going to hurt someone,” she said, her red-blonde hair ripping in the wind storm that surrounded the poor child.

The rest of the family, san Gary, got put and did their best to bring down the angry pre-teen. Gary because he couldn’t protect himself decided to talk to the men. “I can see from the looks on your faces, ya’ll don’t agree. That make me think better of ya’ll,” he said in his soft Arizona drawl.

“Thanks for that at least,” said Remus with a small smile. He looked at Harry and saw the wind dying down and knew the magic was dissipating.

About five minutes later everyone was in their chairs, except Harry who was still on his favorite aunt’s lap, head leaning on her shoulder, tears of anger drying on his face, which had took on a determined look. He was thinking he was going to have to prepare his principal for these turn of events. She was going to have to be much more selective on the team she sent with him.

Deep breathes and sighs were heard all around the circle of family. Soon everyone was calm and collected. Harry returned to his chair and scrubbed his face. “Sorry, didn’t mean to lose it like that,” he said to his godfather.

“It’s okay Harry. I’m just surprise the Aurors didn’t show after that bit of magic. What if the Muggles,” he noticed the scrunched noses at the words, but continued, “had noticed that?”

“Oh, well they don’t come here, because everyone in this town knows weird stuff happens in this house. They even used to pay the aunts for spells and stuff,” Harry said with a shrug. “Don’t use the word Muggle here in America; it’s like calling a foreigner one of the many derogatory names they use. Call them non-magical,” he instructed. “Don’t say Squib or muggle-born either, we call them Returners and Returnees, since all Returnees are simply descended from a long line of Returners, hence the names. ”

“I can do that. Sorry, Gary, didn’t mean to insult,” Sirius said to the only non-magical in the family. He turned back to Harry, “But, Harry, everyone knows that umm Returners have no magic. It’s why they are sent to the Mu… non-magical world.”

“Do you doubt the research done by the Magical Intelligence Agency” Claire asked with the raise of one of her eyebrow.

“No, of course not, we’re just confused is all,” Remus said appeasing, holding up his hand in a calming manner.

“But, what does he mean they all know? What about the Statute of Secrecy?” Sirius questioned Claire, not wanting to his godson to get in trouble. Put the subject of Squibs away for now, they’d have to look at this research. It will blow the British government’s collectively small mind.

“The Owens family never took the oath, and now they have an arrangement with us so they don’t have to,” she alluded her tone suggesting no more questions be asked on that matter.

The two men again shared a confused look, but backed away from the subject. Decided to change topics Remus asked, “So tell us how you guys are doing all this wandless magic?”

The witches shared a smile and nodded, now was the time to educate.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: and we’ll start again, hopefully tomorrow; barring any unforeseen accidents, injuries or illness.**


	24. Chapter 24: The Differences

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Remember I am flying solo on this so there may be grammar and spelling errors, I do go through them three times before I post, without another set of eyes I miss stuff.**

**A quick apology, I’ve had to go back and adjust the two girls, it wasn’t until I got half way down this chapter that I realized I was still seeing them as six and five. Sorry about that.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_Still August 1, 1992 around 11 a.m._ **

Everyone started talking at once, the boys eager to share with their godfathers. Sally wanted to discuss potions, the rest of the Owens witches, including the girls wanted to share what they liked best.

A loud piercing whistle filled the air, everyone looked a Jet. “This is all fine and good, but we will never get anything done. How about we let the darling children go first, then they can either go and play or stay and discuss with the rest of us?” she suggested as she settled back in her chair to make sure she was out of the sun, parasol notwithstanding.

“That’s a marvelous idea, Jet dear. Harry, why don’t you go first? Then Neville and if the girls want to add anything they can go next,” Frances said, straightening her large floppy sun hat.

There were murmurs of agreement, with a few complaints from Tonia, and they all settled back in their chairs.

“Okay, what would you like to know first?” Harry asked, looking at his godfather, his expression eager and almost bouncing out of his chair. His green eyes excited to show off to someone new.

“Well, I noticed you have electric lights in the house, can you explain how you get your magic to work and still have electricity?” Sirius asked. It had been baffling him since yesterday, when he noticed the outdoor light by the back door. Not to mention the strings of light that could still be seen around the yard.

“I think that is better left to Aunt Frances, she is the one who studied it. I mean, I can tell you, but I can’t go as into depth with it as she can. Ask something else,” Harry explained with a proud look at his aunt. It was one of the things she worked with the government on. They were trying to find a magic-null spell for the trip to England, so the students had their computers in the magical enriched atmosphere of Hogwarts.

“Okay, well, ummm, well what can you do, that you think I can’t?” the Animagus asked racking his brain for something to bring up. He, however, just realized that the people in this house didn’t use magic for everything, he never noticed the breeze increase from Jet; he just thought it was nature cooling them off.

“Before you get started, I’m going to get tea, so please excuse me,” Sally said getting up from the table; it was going to be a long talk they would need something to drink. “Harry, show him the ball while I’m away. I know that one, so I won’t miss anything.” And with that suggestion she went to get tea.

“Okay, pup, show me this ball thing,” Sirius said, thinking these kids had nothing on him and Hogwarts graduate, but playing along all the same, it was his godson after all.

“Okay, can you conjure a ball for me right on the table, make it small and white, nothing fancy?” the dark haired pre-teen asked, pointing to the spot on the table he wanted the ball.

“Sure,” Sirius replied and did as asked with a wand and but without incantation, hoping to impress the lad. The ball appeared and it was just what Harry asked for, about the size of a tennis ball, smooth surfaced and completely white.

“Okay, great, thanks,” Harry said happy to get what he wanted. “How about we take turns guys?” he asked Neville and the two teen girls; they all nodded.

Harry went first and turned the ball blue with a tap of his finger. Neville went next and turned it green with a blink of his eyes. The two British men were silent with shock and watching avidly. Kaylie was next and she lifted her finger pointed it at the ball from across the table and turned her hand over, crooked her finger in a come here motion and the ball flew to her hand. She handed the ball to her sister, with a smirk. Tonia took the ball and without any motion or words, the ball drifted back to the spot it started at.

“H… ho… how did you do that?” Remus stuttered out. He could do everything they did; they were all simply spells, stuff you learn in first year. But, never had he seen four children all under the age of seventeen, if he could guess correctly, do wandless and wordless magic, that wasn’t taught until sixth year, so only the girls should have been able to do it, and not without a great deal of strain. This demonstration was smooth, as if it was a game they’d all played for years. Which of course it was, but he didn’t know that.

“Me and Neville have been doing that since we were babies; the aunts taught the girls when they were six and five. So we’ve been doing it, like, forever,” Harry answered with a shrug, this was baby stuff to him, sure they taught in school now, but it was too easy for him and Neville.

“But, but, you are all underage, how do you possible get away with this,” the werewolf said, ever the law bidder, well mostly.

“I will have you know, sir, that I will be eighteen next year, and will be graduating from Tuscan Magical School of Magic with a Masters in Charms,” Kaylie said in her most snotty voice, nose in the air and carrying a mock look of dignity. All the Owens and Hallets laughed. “Besides, wandless magic or our magic isn’t on the radar, so to speak.”

“W… Wh… What? A Masters at eighteen? What kind of schools do they have here?” the further shocked man asked. Sirius was still examining the ball, trying to see if he had accidently charmed it when he conjured it.

“I’ll get you the brochures’, but let’s get back to the differences,” Jet suggested floating the ball out of Sirius’ hands with a look and turning it into the plain white ball it started out as.

“Oh, Merlin, we’re going to look right stupid around you lot,” the dark haired man groaned, banging his head on the table.

“Yeah, it’s actually thanks to the aunts we’re so good. They taught us well,” Harry said with vast amounts of pride in his voice.

“Oh you darling little boy, Aunt Jet loves you so much,” Jet said getting up and going to Harry. Then proceeded to hug and kiss him to his cheeks to death, well that’s what the embarrassed boy felt it was like anyway.

“Get off, Aunt Jet, I’m too big for this,” he struggled to get away from his playful aunt, who was having none of it. The poor boy had already looked like a baby with his temper tantrum earlier; he didn’t need his aunt making him look more like one.

“Jet dear, leave him be. I think he might just have a heart attack, and at such a young age too,” Frances sigh, a smile playing at her lips. She so loved her family it was hardly ever depressing around here.

Jet stood, took up her parasol from where she had placed it and walked back to her seat as if she hadn’t just embarrassed her nephew.

Sally returned with the large glasses of Kippy’s iced tea, she looked at the red Harry and the smirking aunts. She gave a shake of her head and placed the tray in the middle of the table. “So what did I miss?” she asked grabbing a glass of tea and watching those at the table do the same.

“Well,” Gary drawled, “I think, Harry just gave those two heart attacks and your Aunt Jet just gave Harry an aneurism, via hugs.”

Sally mock glared at her fun loving aunt, “Aunt Jet, be nice.”

“My darling girl, I am always nice,” the seemingly affronted aunt said, nose in the air, in much the imitation of her young niece. Everyone but the two Brits laughed, they were still in a great deal of shock.

“Damn, if you guys act like this from a kid’s game, I’m not sure we should show you anything else today,” Harry said getting frustrated at his godfather and friend.

“Wha, oh yeah, ummm, give me a minute, okay pup? It is rather wicked for us to see. Maybe your right though, maybe we should stick to theory for now,” Sirius said shaking his head to clear it. He was thinking that maybe even theory might be too much to handle. And from the dazed look on his friends face he was probably thinking the same thing.

There were groans, sighs and giggles heard around the table. The two boys groaned because they had wanted to show off more. The two teens giggled at the weak looking men’s faces. The rest of the family was either thoughtfully silent or sighed because they knew the boys would be disappointed.

“Well, if we aren’t going to be showing off our magic, then I’ll let the aunts and Kaylie and Tonia talk about the theory. I’m going to go ride my new bike, coming Neville?” Harry stated and turned to his cousin with a questioning look.

“Yeah,” the slightly disappointed boy said but brightening at the prospect of riding his new bike. “Let’s leave the grown-ups to talk and go riding.”

The two boys got up from the table and ran to get their bikes, Agent Mumford, who had been leaning on a tree away from the family group, called to them to wait for her to get her jogging clothes on so she could accompany them. More groans were heard, but the two boys slowed down.

“Don’t forget you hats, you guys” Gilly called to their retreating back and got two thumbs up for her effort. While Neville didn’t require a hat, it was a sunny day and she wanted to make sure he didn’t burn his nose again.

“Let’s take a break from magic for a minute, I have a question for you boys,” Jet said taking on a serious look. “Where are you two staying? And do you have enough money to live off of while you are here? We can get you jobs if you need them.”

This finally causes Sirius to laugh. “Oh, yeah I have plenty of money. I wouldn’t know how to work in a Mu… um non-magical world anyway,” he replied, shooting a sheepish look around the table and getting approving smiles in return. “Remus here might want a job though. He doesn’t like me spending money on him. We’re staying at the motel for the moment, but we’ve got a line on flat near here, for the next two years. I’ve enough money to pay in advance for that. We’re signing the lease tomorrow.” He waved off their concern, not knowing how spoiled he was coming across as, having been raised with only pure-bloods and they all acted like this. Prankster though he was, he was raised and aristocrat.

Some of the adults shook their heads in slight disgust, but not enough to notice. They’d work on him, if he was going to be hanging around the boys, that attitude needed adjusting, and Gilly felt she was just to person to do that. Even Remus was giving an indulgent look to his friend, he was quite use to Padfoot’s stuck up ways, but being the ever peacekeeper, he never felt the need to change it.

“Yes, well, that’s simply marvelous,” Frances said, with a forced cheerful smile. “We were going to invite you to stay here after Sally and her charming family leaves. But, since you have it all figured out we just need to go over schedules.” A real beaming smile came to her face, mischief played in her eyes. “Let’s get back to theory then. We’ll start simple and educate you two over the next few years, shall we?”

There was an odd combination of eagerness, happiness and fear in the eyes of the two men, more eager Remus and more happy for Sirius.

“Sounds like a plan,” Sirius agreed with a nod.

“Okay, first of all. Do you know how your wand works?” Jet started in lecture mode.

“Well, when you point, motion and incant with the wand in hand, the magic is pulled from your core, through your body, down your arm and out the wand,” Remus answered cautiously, that was first year theory. But, was afraid she was going to tell him he was wrong.

“Correct,” the surprising answer came. “Now, do you know how wandless magic works?”

“Same theory just with more force, because there is no focus,” the werewolf answered again.

“Almost,” Remus groaned at Jet’s answer. “Wandless magic it forced that way with wand users, because that is the way you’ve trained it. We’ve never used a wand, none of us, except the girls here,” she pointed at Kaylie and Tonia, who pulled out their wands, “but they started without when they were just babies. None of the Owens women have used them. However, our magic needs a focus to do big things. Like rituals and crystals. Let’s say I want to do a ward spell. I would require a ritual and a crystal to hold the spell. Rituals also send out strong waves of magic, which is why they are done outdoors or by candlelight,” she continued, the two men followed along, Remus looking like he wanted to take notes, so Sally conjured him a paper and pencil. He nodded his thanks with a slightly awed look.

“What we learned when Death brought the boys to us, is that some magic requires a great deal of faith, and until you have that faith you need to use focus and words. The magic we do is sent out in waves, like the increase in wind you felt earlier. That was Aunt Jet; she simply sent a wave out with her thoughts and asked the wind to increase slightly around this area. It did. That is an example of passive magic,” Gilly took up the lecture, sitting up straighter so that she would be taken seriously. “Now she asked nicely and the particles in the air stirred softly to the gentle wave she sent out. When Harry lost his temper, he didn’t ask, he didn’t even demand. What you felt was magic being sent out in mass waves and the particles in the air reacted. That is also passive magic, because it has no focus,” she stated, and then glanced at Jet to continue.

“The conjuring you did is an example of focused magic. It took more out of you because you sent a force magic into a straight line and demanded it,” Jet concluded and took a sip of her wonderful tea. “This is also one of the reasons electricity works in the house, gentle waves don’t affect it. Now if Harry had had his fit in the house the fuss box would have blown.” They knew that from experience, they’d had to pay the local electrician to help them learn to replace it themselves, so he didn’t have to keep coming out.

The group settled down for a long discussion on the differences between the two magic’s. It would take more than one afternoon to get everything they knew across to the two new members of their family. But they had two years to do it.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: I am not a lecturer, I figured this was enough to give you guys the general idea of what I feel are the differences. I hope it helps.**


	25. Chapter 25: A Fun Halloween

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy. Remember I am flying solo on this so there may be grammar and spelling errors, I do go through them three times before I post, without another set of eyes I miss stuff. It is actually a very bad habit of mine, to re-read and re-adjust previous chapters, then re-post them. However, it is the only way I can keep on track and hopefully not miss anything. So if the last chapter was not posted the day you read it there is a good chance the ones before were added to or altered, usually only slightly. Until the day the story is complete.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_A short narration._ **

It will be a year before the boys knew they would have to go to Hogwarts, they still didn’t know why. Death only told them where they had to go and when. Well, only Harry had to go, but it was strongly suggested that he take a team with him. They had talked to the school principal years ago and let her know what they knew. She is the one that recommended that a group from SMI be put together to accompany the boys. A committee was formed as they tried to come up with diplomatic ways to get there, which were all-American, yet didn’t insult anyone.

Many suggestions flew around the meetings. There were some who wanted to go in a magical rocket. Others that wanted to arrive on a flying flag, that one was disregarded right away as unpatriotic. There was even a suggestion of an orange magical school bus. For a while there was talk of buying a yacht, but after a few meetings that was disregarded as too pompous. They wanted to make the impression that every United States citizen was equal. So it was decided that a nice houseboat would be crafted, one that showed they were down to earth Americans.

Then the talks turned to how they were going to get there. Some suggested flying, but that might break the Statute and the British were far stricter on that than they were. Some suggested just appearing on the grounds, but after what Sirius had told them about the wards that was canceled. So it was decided that they would create a whirlpool tunnel and come up in the Black Lake outside the wards. It would have to be precise, since most of the lake was inside the wards. They would then wait to be invited in by the Headmaster.

They were still discussing whether or not to make the kids wear uniforms, the boys hoped not.

The committee had already drawn up a team of students and the Vice Principal to go with the boys. And they were:

  1.             Vice Principal Joshua P. Scott, a stocky, brown hair, brown eyed middle age man who will be teacher for all the non-magical subjects for the apprentices and students.
  2.             Apprentice Cathy J. Montgomery, a tall green eyed, redhead girl who is good at defense and dark arts.
  3.             Apprentice Scott R. Wilder, an average size blue eyed, blonde young man who is good at potions and rituals.
  4.             Apprentice Matthew S. Sarris, an average height, little overweight, brown eyed, blonde who was good at charms and mind magic.
  5.             Apprentice Steven E. Diaz, a tall dark brown, dark haired, boy who is good at transfiguration and lost arts.
  6.             Apprentice Mary O. Knowles, a short African American who is good at history and muggle studies, because she is the boys’ friend, they share a study hour.
  7.             8th year Nicole R. Lisle, an average sized, curly dark haired, know-it-all girl. Because she was far above her grade level and the boys’ friend, they share a study hour.
  8.             Jordan Hilton, he is the boys’ best friend and now knows all about British law and politics and computers, because he studied them knowing the he and boys would be going back.



Luis would be joining them as well to make sure they keep up on their manner. And of course Agent Mumford for protection and to help in whatever subject she could.

**Hppmhppm**

Harry and his family were coming up with ways to travel from the boat to land without using the small boats, just in case there wasn’t a dock or something. They, unlike the committee, wanted to impress. Harry was working on a super-secret project and only Neville and Jordan knew what it was. The rest of the family let them be, boys will be boys after all.

While all this was going on, Gilly was working with Sirius and Remus to get them caught up with the rest of the family. Gilly and Sirius were getting closer to one another, but were holding off on anything serious in case Harry didn’t approve. She was also working on getting rid of that pompous attitude Sirius had about money. There was no reason to flaunt your money in people’s faces; you didn’t see Harry and Neville doing that. And she so didn’t what them to pick up that bad habit.

**_October 31 1993_ **

It had been a great few years; the boys were learning a lot in their school, they were in the top ten in all their classes. This year started labs in chemistry and potions; they had only done non-labs up till now. What compounds go with which and safety measures. Harry was ecstatic; he had been waiting years for these classes. After what he had seen Sally and Evie do with the stuff they sell, he figured he could do so many great things when he learned more. That and these magical practices took thought and concentration. Not like his other magical classes, where he had been doing most of them since he was a baby. Well he hadn’t done the theory but all he really had to do is think and it was done. He did have to learn wand movements though so he could pass his test, but that was easy.

Neville was excited about these classes too, he was a prodigy in Herbology and potions would be a child's play. Add chemistry and he and Harry would be able to help his aunt and Evie make more stuff for their shop.

Jordan was not as happy about them; he was more of a wand waver then a scientist.

It was a cold Halloween night at around 5 p.m. Harry, Neville and Jordan all dressed in costume for trick-or-treating were gathered in the living room, making final adjustments to their costumes.

Harry was going as Merlin, his fake white beard hung down to his knees, and with as many times as he had to untangle it, he decided that he was never going to have a long beard, or hair. His grey tunic like robe was tied at the waist using a piece of twine. He carried a staff of oak, which he had gathered from the back yard. It was what gave him the idea in the first place.

Neville was going as a hobo. He had on a pair of over-sized overalls that was stuffed with a pillow in the middle. The plaid shirt was one that Gary had given him for gardening, so it was big and dirty. His face was covered in dirt and his hair was teased to look like it hadn’t been combed in years. He had a long stick with a handkerchief tied to the end, which was filled with a few bits of cloth to make it look full.

Jordan was dressed as a clown. He wore a normal colorful clown outfit, with one side orange and the other purple. A big white with black outline, make-up smile covered his lips and large arches of white and purple make-up covered his eyes and brows, a red foam nose was placed… well on his nose. He carried a small horn at his side to that he could scare other kids in front of him.

The boys were thinking that this would be the last year they would go trick-or-treating. They were getting to old, well if you went by the aunts who were all dressed up as witches, and then one was never too old. Besides, they were only doing it for the godfathers.

Maisie was at home with her parents, she didn’t want to run around with boys, so they were going in their own hometown.

The Owens women were wearing what they normally wore on Halloween. Gilly was wearing a mid-thigh black witch’s costume dress, with green and white striped socks and pointy boots. There was the typical wide-brimmed pointed black hat on her head. And she carried a black lacy parasol and had a broom off to the side.

The aunts were dressed similar, only their dressed covered much more of their person. It was tradition to dress this way, and later the boys and Gilly would jump from the roof of the house to show off to the town folk.

Remus and Sirius had laughed themselves silly when they saw what non-magical’s thought wizards and witches dressed like. They decided that they would also dress as wizards for the night.

“So, what is this trick-or-treating you lot keep going on about?” Sirius asked as everyone was sitting down for a light dinner.

“What? You don’t have it in England?” Harry asked with a shocked look.

Remus gave an indulgent smile and answered, “Well, it is a recent thing there, not many go about knocking on doors yet, and that is only in the non-magical side. The magical pure-bloods find celebrating in such a way and insult to tradition. You do know this is the night when the veil between the living world and the dead realm is the thinnest? The old ways suggest that it is a powerful night for blood and death magic. It wasn’t until a couple hundred years ago that those were considered Dark. Calling up a loved one to chat was something a lot of witches did, well back then anyway.”

“Yeah, I know all that, but what about the children? What do they do for fun, I mean, we celebrate the dead and all that, but we still have, you know, fun,” Harry said not really understanding that trick-or-treating was almost purely an American tradition. He never really thought of it.

“Well,” Sirius answered thoughtfully, “we throw parties, there’s good cakes and puddings, and the families get together to discuss those that have passed. It can actually be fun, so I’ve heard, there are a few games played for the kids. Bobbing for apples and such.” He shrugged; he had hated those family parties, but heard from James that the Potters actually made a good show of them.

“Oh, that, ummm, sounds, well like it might actually be a little fun. I think I would rather go around and get candy though,” Harry said after thinking about it for a minute.

They finished their dinner and were gathered in the front hall.

“All ready, dears? Do you have everything?” Aunt Jet asked, checking on the large bowl of candy she had at the door for any child brave enough to go to the Owens house. They got a few brave souls every year, and for every child not poisoned or cursed, they got few more. Unfortunately, there were still bullies that tried to throw things at the house, and they were quickly dissuaded from doing it again. Now that the witches knew more magic and had better wards, any child that tried to harm the house or anyone in it, got a mild stinging hex to their backside.

“Ready, Aunt Jet,” came the replies as bags were gathered and cloaks were added to costumes.

The two Brits would be joining the boys, along with Agent Mumford, though she would be shadowing. It was the first time the older men had seen an all-out American holiday and they didn’t want to miss a thing. They had missed last years because they were at the Agency filling out some paperwork and informing them about the British Government and its lack of preparation.

Scores of brightly costumed children filled the streets of New Salem; fairy’s, witches, princess, cartoon characters, movie characters, zombies, ghost, ninjas and all manner of fun or scary costumes were seen going from door to door with choruses of ‘trick or treat’ filling the air. The children aged from five to young teens, with a few diehard teens thrown in for fun. Adults, some dressed up, but most not, were standing on the sidewalks waiting for the children to finish.

Decorations littered lawns and doorways, there were; scarily carved pumpkins, graveyards, ghost, skeletons, spider webs, strobe lights and witches over cauldrons or smashed into houses, like they crashed on their brooms (which made the two men laugh) all over the town. It was like each house was trying to outdo the other on who could scare the kids the most. Cackling laughs and moans with eerie background noises could be heard. There were a few cheerful houses with simple jack-o-lanterns in the yard, but most were trying to be creepy.

The two older men looked on with awe. “Why could we have this growing up?” Sirius said with a pouty lip, “Harry’s right this is loads more fun than those boring family parties.”

Remus just patting his immature friend’s arm and continued to take in the magic of the night, all the children running around, having fun was a magic all its own. It was no wonder America had given up the old ways, well he knew there were some Wiccan’s that were trying to bring them back, but instead of smashing the new tradition they were merging the two. The parties for the dead were held a midnight when the veil was said to be the weakest.

After around two hours of running for house to house, the men decided to go back home. It was getting dark and they still had to jump off the roof. Jordan had to go home, it was getting late.

Harry, Neville and Gilly got on the roof and waited for the town folk to notice them. After a moderate crowd gather, they all jumped from the roof. Harry decided to have a little fun and created a small whirlwind under each of them and they gently floated to the ground. A round of applause was heard from the crowd. The three bowed and gave a jaunty wave and went into the house.

They had a table set up for what is known as a Feast for the Dead. They did this every year to show that they missed their parents. Every person in that house that was known as Owens had two plates set up for their dead loved one. Gilly never set a plate for Jimmy, because though he was dead, she never wanted him in this house again.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: I am trying to come up with ways for finish the tasks, I have a few ideas for the dragon and I know what I’m going to do for the lake, but should I make the maze a breeze or hard. I want Harry to show his skills, but not his power. So suggestions would be helpful.**

 

 

 


	26. Chapter 26: Getting Prepared

**AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Remember I am flying solo on this so there may be grammar and spelling errors, I do go through them three times before I post, without another set of eyes I miss stuff. It is actually a very bad habit of mine, to re-read and re-adjusts previous chapters, then re-posts them. However, it is the only way I can keep on track and hopefully not miss anything. So if the last chapter was not posted the day you read it there is a good chance the ones before were added to or altered, usually only slightly. Until the day the story is complete.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_July 30, 1994_ **

It was Neville’s turn to celebrate and boy were they. This year they had invited all the kids from their class and the backyard was packed it young witches and wizards. They had to modify the wards for the day so that it only looked like a normal party. If you were outside you really couldn’t see anything, just vague shadows and such, like there was a fog on the yard. And since the town folk knew about the witches they really didn’t question it. Though most of the wizards knew not to do magic in front of non-magicals, they sometimes forgot when in the middle of a party.

Even though it was the middle of the day the whole yard was strung with party lights, the paths that littered the backyard were lite with little globes; someone even brought fairies for even more lights. The various tables had different games, non-magical and magical. Green and gold streamers were everywhere, adding to the color of the same colored table clothes and the present tables. Children’s laughter filled the air making it crackle with a magic of its own.

Soon enough it was time for gifts to be opened so the boys were set in front of their table. Magical and non-magical cameras were whipped out and the boy shooed to their table. The boys laughingly complied.

“Nev, dude, you go first this year,” Harry said, who now sported blue and silver striped hair that was covered in a green fedora, standing in his tight jeans, ratty black t-shirt and black combat boots, in front of the green table.

“Yup, so let’s see what we got,” the sun streaked blond boy answered. He was dressed a bit more conventional than his cousin in straight-legged jeans, a clean green t-shirt and green sneakers.

The boys got each some traveling games, puzzles (wizard and non) and lots of cold weather gear, it had been banned about school that they were going on an exchange program (which the school actually signed up for) to Scotland next year and the class wanted them to be prepared. Most of them were joke gifts, like the matching parka to which the comment of “Hey, I hear it gets cold there,” thrown in.

Along with traveling stuff there were personal gifts, like the aquarium that let you grow herbs on top for Neville, and the guitar and sheet music for Harry. Pictures were taken and soon lunch and cake was served and the party went on for a few more hours, until about 5 p.m. Harry gave Neville his super-secret invention, which was a hoverboard. Everyone ohhh’d and ahhh’d over it. Many requests were given and Harry said he’d see what he could do.

This was something the witches had a hard time doing. In their magic they never had to charm an object. As long as they were thinking about it, it did what they wanted it to do. So this was one thing the wizards had on them, until they were taught. Wizards could charm a toaster to always pop up completely perfect toast the same time every day, whereas the witches would just look at the toaster and get the same thing. Harry used a combination of both and turned a skateboard into a hoverboard, which could float on anything. The flying brooms he bought were helpful in that aspect. He and Jordan had one as well, they would hopefully be used to ferry themselves across the lake.

And soon enough it was just the Owens, the two godfathers and the Hiltons lounging around the remains of the food table, picking at various snacks that were still on the table.

“Got to say, pup, that was better than any party I had when I was a kid. My mum always made sure we were all proper and formal at our parties,” Sirius said leaning back as far as his chair would let him, completely relaxed. He was wearing normal jeans and a t-shirt that had a logo for Salem’s new and upcoming hard rock band, the Drifters. “Plus, she would never have allowed Mug…ummm, non-magical items in our house let alone a party.” He shrugged.

“I agree,” agreed the werewolf, whose face was far less scarred then it used to be, thanks to Sally’s new scar cream and better wolfsbane potion. With the better potion he didn’t tear himself up quite as badly and with the cream the scars healed faster. She was quite popular among the weres right now, because she sold it cheaply. “And some of those gag gifts are funny as well. We would have never thought of something like that one that will actually turn you into a polar bear for an hour.”

“I do have one more gift for Harry that I didn’t want to give to you in front of everyone, in case you decline,” Sirius said leaning forward and looking a little anxious.

“Padfoot, you should know by now that I’d like anything you give me,” Harry said, a bright smile on his face. These last two years with the Brits had been great. They had learned a lot about England and their families’ histories.

“Well, ummm, you see, ahhh, I went to the healer to see if there were any, ahhh, side effects from the Dementors and, ummm, well —I can’t have kids. So, ummm, I was wondering if, ahhh, you’d consent to be my heir,” the nervous Animagus blurted out while fiddling with a spoon he found on the table, only to realize it wasn’t his spoon and promptly dropped it, wiping his hands on his pants.

“Sirius,” the young teen said in a kind voice, “I’d love to be your heir. Hey, will that make me like your son?” he asked excitedly. “Oh, I just remembered the Peverell curse. Someone needs to remember that. Maybe you Neville?” he asked and waited for his cousin to nod in agreement.

“Well, while I don’t think it can be formal, you will always be like a son to me. And being the Head of the Family I can name whoever I want a heir, besides your grandmother was a Black. What’s the Peverell curse?”

“It’s a curse that makes the Potters forget they’re heirs to the Peverell fortune. The goblins told Death about it, he told the Aunts. They don’t know who cast it, but whoever did was really good, it’s been a few generations that we can’t remember,” Harry explained. “So, no adoption?” he asked sad green eyes looking at his godfather.

“That is correct,” said Jim as he materialized out of thin air, causing everyone to jump and the Hiltons to scream. His skeletal form looking completely out of place in the bright sun and party atmosphere. “Young Harry must remain a Potter until he is seventeen. After that he may take up the Potter-Black-Peverell name.”

“Ahhhhh, Merlin’s balls, Jim, quit doing that,” Sirius said from the ground where he landed when his chair overturned. He picked himself up, dusted the grass off his jeans and sat down, a pouty lip sticking out.

“Everyone calm down,” Jet said confidently, dressed in a light green long summer dress, floppy hat firmly in place. “Evie, Finley, Jordan and Masie, this is Jim, or Death. He is a friend of the family. Remember, sweeties, we told you about him when we met. Jim, I’m sure you know the Hiltons.”

“Yeah, but hearing and seeing are two different things,” grumbled Jordan, who was dressed like Harry in worn jeans and ratty t-shirt, his eyes fastened on the deity before him.

“Well met. I have news,” Jim said bluntly as he sat at the table as far from the still spooked Hiltons as possible and yet still be near the Owens.

“I hope it is good news, it is my birthday after all,” said Neville leaning forward on the table.

“It is good in the aspect that I now know why you will be returning to England and what you will be doing there.”

“Oh, well I guess that could be twisted as good,” Gilly said conjuring up a pen and paper to jot down whatever Jim had to tell them.

“A young woman, Bertha Jorkins, recently passed on,” a sad look came over Sirius’ and Remus’ face, they knew her in school, she was a few years ahead of them, “and told me that there is going to be a tournament at Hogwarts this year. It is my belief that young Harry’s name will come out of the golden goblet they use to choose the champions. It will be this coming Halloween,” Jim explained.

“Oh, well I’m not sure if that’s good news or not,” Harry said taking off his hat and rubbing his streaked hair.

“I do know the tasks so you can now train for them,” Jim said turning his head to the young man and staring with his blank face. “The first task will be that you must obtain an item from the nest of a nesting dragon.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? I have to get past a nesting dragon? Do you know how vicious they are?” Harry spouted getting to his feet and pacing up and down next to the table the wind picking up with his rant.

“Yes,” Jim said blandly. “The next task will be for you to regain something that will be taken from you, most likely a person, from the middle of Black Lake in the Merpeople’s village and returning it in an hour.”

“Well that doesn’t sound too bad,” Frances said, relaxing back a little. Harry once again reclaimed his seat anger abated for the moment and the wind died back down to normal.

“Yes,” came the once again bland voice of Jim. “The last task will be a maze that will be distributed with magical creatures that you must get past to win the trophy. This is where young Harry will run into trouble. Again, I cannot see everything, however, this is the part that will take him to Voldemort,” he said ignoring the two Brits shudders. He turned to Sirius and said, “With the death of young Miss Jorkins, Voldemort created another Horcrux. You will need to somehow make sure you are there when Harry is Portkeyed away so you can kill the snake he used.”

“Right, I’ll get with the Team and we’ll figure out a way,” the serious Sirius nodded decisively.

“That is my gift to you young Harry. I apologize that I could not give one to you as well young Neville,” Jim said inclining his head to both teens.

“It’s cool,” Neville said not sure if he ever wanted a gift from this… man.

“Yeah, thanks,” Harry said sarcastically then remembered who he was talking to and quickly added, “at least I know and can now train, so thank you, sir.” He sketched a slight bow and sat next to his Aunt Gilly.

“Then I must be off. I have work to do. Until later,” Jim said as he rose from his chair, his robes billowing in the non-existent wind. He stepped into the shadows and was gone.

“That was one creepy man,” Masie said giving a full body shiver.

“I agree,” said Evie hugging her daughter. The male Hiltons nodded their agreement as well.

“Well, that’s simply marvelous,” Frances said with a bright smile, adjusting her hat with the sun. “Now you are not going in blind, Harry. And you were quite rude to Jim; you know he is a family friend.” Though not usually one for manners, it never hurt not to piss off a deity.

“You’re right. Luis would have chastised me as well. Sorry, Jim,” he shouted to the sky causing chuckles of amusement from around the table.

“Well now that the subject has been brought up, we should talk about who will be going with you from the family,” Gilly said still taking notes.

“Well, we know Jordan is on the school’s team and that he has been studying British laws and such. And we were talking about it and think that at the very least Gilly and Sirius should come. I just don’t know if you guys will be allowed on the boat or if you have to find your own housing, since you aren’t staff,” Harry said.

“I’ll talk to the team and see if we can’t get hired on as consultants or something. I know they’ve hired Luis on as an etiquette consultant and he is even give a class,” Sirius said scratching his goatee.

“Yeah, and Agent Mumford said she will be a Defense teachers assistant. But, what could you guys do?” Neville asked a thoughtful look in his eyes. “I mean you guys don’t have credentials.”

“He’s right, we don’t and I doubt we can get any in three months,” Gilly said with a nod of her head.

“Why would we need credentials? I mean in Hogwarts you only have to pass your OWL’s with O’s to get a teaching job there,” Sirius asked in confusion looking around the table and seeing the gobsmacked expressions. “Though their new Care of Magical Creatures Professor was actually expelled in his third year, Hagrid is a great guy but not the brightest wand in the shed. So maybe you just have to be good at what you’re teaching.”

“OWL’s? That’s all that’s required? And this Hagrid guy didn’t even graduate?” Harry asked incredulously. “You have to be certified to be able to teach here in America and that’s after you graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree from college.”

“Wow, no wonder your professors are better,” Remus said his amber eyes filled with awe. He thought he was qualified to teach since he had a Masters in Defense, but now he knew he would have to have more training. Since he was treated better here in the States he wanted to obtain a citizenship. Sirius was still undecided, he still had clout in Britain and if he hooked up with Gilly then it would be what she wanted as well.

“Yeah, so I’m not going to call anyone at that school any honorific unless they can show me that they at least have a Masters in their field,” Neville stated. Etiquette stated that honor only be given to those who deserve it. The teachers in the USA only went by Mr. or Mrs. unless they have a Doctors Degree or a Master Degree. Then they went by Doctor and Professor.

“Let’s hold off on that until you ask Luis, okay?” Jet said, not wanting the boys to cause trouble if they could help it.

All three boys threw themselves back in their seats and pouted causing chuckles to once again float around the table lightening the mood.

“Well if we can’t teach then maybe we can hire on as bodyguards,” Sirius stated grasping for something to try and stay on the boat with the boys.

“I _see_ that you will not be on the boat. So you should be discussing where you will stay. I don’t _see_ that,” Evie said in a vacant voice. “I also _see_ that only you and Gilly will be attending the boys.”

“Okayyy, well there’s a village near Hogwarts called Hogsmeade,” Sirius said and stopped when the teens and the witches broke out in laughter. “What now?”

“Hogs, you guys have a thing about pork? Next you’ll tell me there’s a bar or restaurant called Hog’s Head or something stupid like that,” Harry got out between laughter, clutching his side and trying to stay in his chair.

“Well yeah there is,” Remus chuckled” but it gets worse, here is the Hogwarts song;

 _Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_  
Teach us something please,  
Whether we be old and bald,  
Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling,  
With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot

Sirius and Remus sang the song and caused the laughter to stop for a moment and then it continued harder than before, which caused the teens all four of them, to fall out of their chairs and roll on the ground.

The discussion continued for a few more minutes but with what was said earlier there really wasn’t much more to talk about. So they went back to partying until everyone was tired, since it was the weekend they stayed up till midnight and wish Harry a happy birthday and went to bed.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: just another quick update chapter. I don’t know when I will update again, going through a bit of a depression right now. Hopefully it will end soon.**

**AN: Due to a review I added the song to the end.**


	27. The Journey Starts

**Chapter 27: The Journey Starts**

**AN: I would like to thank my beta for looking over this fic, darrelldeam. All mistakes are my own. It is a very bad habit of mine, to re-read and re-adjust previous chapters, then re-post them. However, it is the only way I can keep on track and hopefully not miss anything. So if the last chapter was not posted the day you read it there is a good chance the ones before were added to or altered, usually only slightly. Until the day the story is complete.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_October 31, 1994_ **

Everyone at SMI was sitting down to lunch when Harry felt the tug on his magic, and then he got the sensation of something wrapping a thin layer of foreign magic around his core. He sighed and got up from the table and headed to the teacher’s lounge. He knocked on the door and waited for it to open. It was finally answered by a teacher Harry didn’t know, so she must teach upper years.

“I would like to speak to Principal Williams, please,” Harry asked semi-formally.

“May I ask what it is about? We were just sitting down to lunch,” the short teacher asked.

“If you would please tell her that Harry Owens said it was time, I would appreciate it,” the black haired boy answered vaguely.

The woman nodded her head and disappeared back inside. Harry leaned against the wall and waited. Soon enough the Principal came to the door and looked at the casual looking young man. She got his attention and raised an eyebrow in question. Not wanting to voice her question out loud in front of all the staff.

Harry simply nodded and shrugged his shoulders.

“Mr. Owens, why don’t you come to my office so we can talk about this? Go and grab your lunch we can eat in there,” she suggested.

“Yes, ma’am,” Harry agreed and turned to do just that.

“Gather your cousin and Mr. Hilton as well,” the Principal called loudly after him and received a thumbs-up in return. Chuckling at that, she turned and went to get her own lunch together.

Harry went back to his table and put his lunch back in to the containers he had just emptied. “Dudes, time to go. We’ve got to meet the Principal in her office. Ummm, does anyone know where that is?” he asked sheepishly. He had never been sent to the office and only had a vague notion where it was at. Not that he was a good little boy, he was just never caught. They had always talked about the trip in the staff room or at the Owens house.

“I do,” Neville said with a smirk, “I had to go and talk to her once about getting extra credit in Herbology.”

“Yeah, I remember that. It was quite a project,” Harry said and stood and waited for his two companions.

Many of the other students were gazing at them questioningly; the rumor mill would be running wild about the three boys getting into trouble. The boys left the hall to go to the main office and told the secretary that they were expected. She nodded and pointed to the Principal’s Office. They knocked on the door and heard ‘enter’, so they went in and sat on the chairs in front of the non-imposing desk.

The office was a simple business type office. A large, yet plain desk, with a computer to one side and a large pile of folders to the other, sat at the back. Three regular chairs were arranged in front of it. Credentials were framed on the wall behind the desk and a bookcase was off to the right. There were a few scenic pictures of the coast line hanging on the walls.

“So, Mr. Owens, you say that it is time. May I ask how you know? I have received no owl telling me such,” the tall red headed woman inquired. She was dressed in a powder blue business suit, with a salmon button down shirt showing from her jacket. Her blonde hair was done in a lose bun and there was a pencil stuck behind her left ear. She wore no make-up or jewelry.

“Well, I was just getting my lunch ready when I felt the tug on my magic and then something wrapped around it. I’m pretty sure that was the binding contract. Still not sure how that is supposed to happen, since I’m not even there,” Harry complained. Though he had been warned and been training, he didn’t like that Fate stepped on his life once again. He really hated that bitch, if it hadn’t been for Jim she would have screwed up his life completely.

“Magic works in mysterious ways,” Principal Williams said with a smirk.

The three boys laughed, breaking the tension. They got down to business after that; they discussed the team being called together and the other members of the family as well. Everyone would gather at the school when it was out and make their way to the vans. Principal Williams would call for the rental vans and make sure they had enough gas money for the trip to Rhode Island, where the new houseboat was.

Williams sent the boys back to class, feeling they still needed to finish the day and made all the arrangements the team had discussed previously. The Owens had set up a fund years earlier so the schools budget was only used for the payment of the teacher that was going with them. The fund would pay for everything else and give money to the students for Hogsmeade.

After the school emptied for the night, everyone that was going and their families congregated in front of the Magical Building. Since they had all been given the day they would leave months ago, they all knew to be ready. Suitcases were piled into a large van and a second van was for the passengers.

Principal Williams handed extra money and the class schedules to Vice Principal Scott. “Here is the gas money. Turn the vans in at the rental station. The trip shouldn’t take more than three hours. This is the class schedule we discussed before. I will miss all your help this year, I’m still not sure about that temp you hired,” she said with a smile. “Make sure you keep an eye on that Healer we hired. I know she signed a contract, but we don’t really know her.”

The committee had hired a temp Healer for the trip. Healer Joanne Parks was an older semi-retired woman who answered their ad. She had been a healer for the local hospital and retired when her husband died. She had always wanted to go to England and now was her chance. Who knows when the trip was over she might retire there.

“You’re just lazy, Beth,” the brown haired man smiled back and took the items and placed them in his briefcase. “Don’t worry about Joanne; they did a thorough background check on her. I am not getting any bad vibes and the kids like her too.”

Tearful good-byes were being said by everyone. Hugs and kisses to family members and friends were passed around for forty minutes. “Take care of yourself” and “I’m going to miss you” and “Behave” were heard throughout the group.

“You give those stuck up Brits hell. You hear me?” Aunt Jet said to Harry as she hugged him close, thanking Jim for the time they had with these two wonderful boys.

Harry hugged her just as tight; he would miss his crazy aunts something fierce. “I will, Aunt Jet, I will. Don’t worry I’ll come back. I have to finish school, remember?” he said with a tearful smile.

“Yes, well, don’t do anything that will get you into trouble or at least don’t get caught. Listen to Gilly and Sirius. Contact me every night on the mirror. Kippy is going to be going between the houseboat and here every day, so you make sure you listen to her as well,” Jet said in an uncharacteristically stern voice.

“I will,” Harry said with one more tight hug and then climbed into the van. He had already said his goodbyes to Aunt Frances and the Hiltons. He never felt the charm that Gilly placed on him as he was settling down in the seat.

The passenger van was quiet, but for the sniffles, for about five minutes then the overwhelming feeling of excitement started to take over. This was going to be one great adventure.

They made it to Rhode Island in good time; traffic was their friend since everyone was headed the other way. Everyone got out and helped load the luggage into the houseboat. The students, Gilly and Sirius stayed there while Mr. Scott and the hired driver returned the vans.

The house on the boat stood on a large wooden platform, with a rail encompassing the outer edges. The house itself was modern, it had three stories. The first floor was set up so that on the right was a classroom and lab. There was a room set in the back for practical magic studies. The left side was set up in a living space area. There was a kitchen in the back and large open space living room to the front. Couches and chairs were scattered throughout, small end tables were next to each seat with a few coffee tables in the middle. A TV was to the back of the room with a gaming station hooked up. The second floor was for the male students and the females were on the top. All doors were charmed so the opposite sex could not enter.

Solar panels and a gas generator were in a large shed on the back of the boat. A sunlight rune was etched in to each panel and the generator was charmed to be ever filling. It had been decided they would stay outside the wards, because it was easier to set up a magic room then to make the rest of the boat magic. This way there was more entertainment for the teens and they didn’t have to cram in to one room to play games and do their computer homework. The hardest part was staying connected to the internet. They decided on a satellite dish, which was mounted on top of the shed and would need to be adjusted in the morning. The dish was shrunk, before it was set up, so that it would fit on the roof.

When Mr. Scott returned, they launched the boat to the ocean. They didn’t have to go very far out, just enough not to be seen. When they got to the area they had mapped out, Gilly, Harry and Neville started to chant. The water around them started to swirl, faster and faster; while the boat remained steady (that was Jordan’s and Mr. Scott’s job). Then the water rose in a large cone and swallowed the boat. Since the only land mass they had to cross was Great Britain creating the tunnel was easy. Getting it to the outside of Hogwarts ward was not.

Gilly and the cousins concentrated on the exact location they needed to go. The trip itself took about ten minutes, so they should be arriving in the middle of the night. Since they were going to be outside the wards they would wait until morning to let the castle know they were there. Getting use to the change of time was going to be difficult, someone suggested they use pepper-up to keep awake the first day and sleep when the rest of the UK did. It sounded like a good idea, and with Sally’s more tasteful potion, they agreed.

They didn’t calculate just how far they would shoot out of the water and when the boat was fifty feet in the air they realized something was amiss. So Harry created his patent whirlwind and gently put the boat on the water. The waves caused the mere-people and the giant squid to surface to see what was happening. The kids all went to the side of the boat to look at the fabled castle. It was beautiful, standing on a mountain with many stairs running up the sides and the front of said mountain. It was also eerie, seeing how it was the middle of the night and the only lights going were in the halls and the outside walls.

The Forbidden Forest was dark and scary looking; animal eyes could be seen peeking out in the frightening way only they had. Centaurs’ shadowed figures could be seen on the borders as they came to investigate the disturbance.

“It’s beautiful, creepy, but beautiful. I can’t wait to see it in the sunrise,” the defense and dark arts Apprentice Cathy said.

“Creepy is right, give me our school any day,” Harry scoffed, but he might be just a little biased.

Neville and Jordan were playing with the giant squid, his tentacles were reaching up to tickle their faces and they would catch and scratch them playfully and then let him go.

“You guys are weirdos,” Harry said jokingly, then started to play with the large sea creature.

“Right, us weirdos, you have room to talk,” Neville said as he shoved his cousin. He was excited he would finally get to meet his grandmother tomorrow. He had written her to let her know when he would be here so they could meet in the village the next night.

“Well since it is our supper time let’s go and see what your friend Kippy has created for us,” Mr. Scott said as he steered the kids into the living room, which would serve as a dining area. They had the same set up as the Owens did. Kippy would cook and the students would clean. Kippy was being paid extra because she had to leave her job to tend to both households.

“Yous needs to be washing your hands and faces. Playing with a squid befores dinner, icky,” Kippy scolded the teens as they walked in the house part, their faces and hands dripping wet from their play.

“Yes, Aunt Kippy,” came the chorus response. Even those not of the Owens household called her that.

The teens, adults, and Sirius, washed up and sat around the living room. The TV was on for background noise, a movie video was playing, but no one was paying attention to it. Kippy served them a light meal of chicken, noodles and vegetables. They all ate and the oldest Mr. Scott did the dishes. They would go down the list every night and then just start over, barring Gilly and Sirius who would be moving to the village tomorrow.

After they unpacked, excited chatter went through the night and pepper-up was handed out when it would have been their time for bed. They discussed how the folks in the castle would react when they saw how they were going to get ashore.

Morning came and they all put on jackets, not quite use to the colds of Scotland, and went to see the sunrise on the castle. It was just as lovely as predicted as the stones were washed with shades of red and pinks. The windows glittered with the rising sun and the forest started to lose its foreboding. You could still see the Centaurs keeping watch, with their bows at the ready. Silhouettes of the staff and students could be seen in the halls of the castle. Another boat could be seen on the shores of the lake and a giant white carriage was on the lawns. People were moving about in them too. The doors of Hogwarts opened and five people were making their way to the shore.

Harry and the rest of the team watched them approach, dawning looks of horror started to show on their faces as they noticed how they were dressed. They looked like something that stepped out of a fantasy novel. Colorful robes (well most of them), pointy hats and old-fashion shoes. Snickering started; it couldn’t be helped when they got a gander at the oldest man. His robes were so bright and colorful that it looked like he dressed in the dark, and with the brightness of his robes that was quite possible.

Mr. Scott cleared his throat and the students sobered. When the castles party reached the shore everyone on the boat, went to the suitcases and got their hover boards. They went to the front of the boat where the rail split and all mounted up and went over the water to meet the greeting party. Each was dressed in jeans and t-shirts, with the schools logo on the front. They all had on casual shoes, because dress shoes or heels would make you slip off the board. Hair went flying as they gathered up speed and excited hollers were heard in the air as they rode the small waves.

They arrived in front of the flabbergasted people. Students from the castle, carriage and boat were watching them, most jealous about the boards.

“A jolly good morning to you, our unexpected guests, may I ask what you are doing in the lake?” the old man inquired.

“We were invited,” Harry smirked noting who glared and who looked curious. “Well I was invited and decided since I had to come, so did my team,” he reiterated waving to the group of people gathered around him.

“No one was speaking to you, you impudent child,” the tall skinny dark haired man said with a sneer.

“Shut up Snivellus,” Sirius said.

“What are you doing here Black,” the man who must be Snape sniped back.

“My godson invited me,” Sirius said in a jovial voice, placing his arm around said boy.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at Snape and returned his attention to the old man, he was sure was Dumbledore, but since they broke etiquette and didn’t introduce themselves first, well he would wait.

“Alas, I do not recall inviting anyone new to the castle. Perhaps you can tell us who you are and we can solve this little mystery. Though from young Sirius’ talk I have a good idea as to who you are,” the old man said and you could see the calculating look that entered his eyes.

“Oh, forgive my manners, I am Harry Potter. And your… cup I think, invited me to play a game,” Harry said with a small bow, internally laughing at all the shocked faces. He was certain that he was not what they expected. With his long blue streaked hair, and non-magical clothes. “And these wonderful people behind me are my team. This is our Vice Principal Mr. Scott, next to him is Ms. Montgomery from there down we have; Ms. Mumford, Mr. Butterworth, Mr. Wilder, Mr. Sarris, Mr. Diaz, Ms. Knowles, Ms. Lisle, Mr. Hilton and I am sure you know Mr. Longbottom. Next to him is our healer Ms. Parks.” Each person gave a small wave as their names were called. “The lovely red head is my aunt Gilly Owens and next to her, as you know, is Sirius Black.”

“Ah yes, Mr. Potter, we were just discussing last evening how to get a hold of you since all the owls in the past have always returned unopened. May I ask how you knew?” the old man, who still had not introduced himself or his staff, asked.

“I am sorry, sir, if I am about to be rude, but would you introduce yourself and your staff. I don’t like talking to people I don’t know the names of,” Harry said formally, ignoring the question for now. Not that it was any of the old guys business, all he needed to know is that Harry was here and who was with him.

“I am terribly sorry, how rude of me. I am Headmaster Dumbledore, to my right is Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall and next to her is Professor Flitwick. To my left is Professor Snape and next to him is Professor Sprout,” the now known Dumbledore pointed to each person as they were introduced. “Shall we go to my office and we can discuss how you knew and what to do now that you have returned to us.”

“I am only here for the time it takes to fulfill the contract. I don’t want you thinking that I have come back permanently. But, hey sure we can talk,” he said slipping out of formal speech now that introductions were over. “Mr. Scott, Neville, Jordan, my aunt and godfather are coming with me though,” he stated firmly arms crossed and feet planted apart.

“Of course, of course, my boy, they are more than welcome,” the Headmaster said with a twinkle in his eyes.

The party of eleven started to the castle for what could turn out to be one hell of a talk.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: I am pretty sure that mainstream satellites were just starting around that time. From the research I did they started the year before in 1993, but it is all vague as to when it got popular. So if I am wrong please feel free to tell me so. Due to reviews, I have made the satellites more modern, not up to 2015, but at least they will get emails to the USA.**


	28. Chapter 28: Meeting With The Hogwarts Staff

**Chapter 28: Meeting With The Hogwarts Staff**

**AN: I would like to thank my beta for looking over this fic, darrelldeam. All mistakes are my own. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_November 1, 1994_ **

The small group of eleven made their way up the mountain. Hogwarts students gawked at the mish-mash group as it passed by them. The SMI clutch chatted among themselves about the many fascinating features of the castle. The moving staircases and all the portraits, even the ghosts were new to them. Harry was still not impressed, well not that he voiced out loud. Internally he grudgingly admitted the magical castle was pretty neat, but he didn’t want to give these Brits any ammunition on swaying him to stay. Gilly was holding his hand, giving comfort and support. On his other side walked Neville, who also kept an impassive face.

Dumbledore led the way to his office, pointing out historical parts of Hogwarts on the way. When they reached the guardian gargoyle the SMI team scoffed, a principal that was not available all the time for his students didn’t impress them. They were use to an office staff to take their complaints or request to. There was no secretary to make appointments, just the stone statue. It didn’t seem well-organized to them. The Headmaster gave the password and they ascended the winding, moving stairs. Hogwarts staff in the lead.

The large circular room was, to the SMI team, ostentatious and tacky. The many moving pictures, which made a show of listening to the group that entered, were loud and demanding. The many gadgets and gizmos, that lined the bookshelves were twirling and emitting high pitched noises. The phoenix was pretty neat, though its large golden perch was a bit over the top. The large wooden desk cluttered with books and parchments took up a good part of the room. All in all it was crowded and seemed mostly useless. Maybe it was because the man lived in the castle and was not only there during the day. If that was the case they could begrudge him that.

The Hogwarts staff gathered behind the desk, only the Headmaster sat. With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore conjured six plushy chairs to appear before the desk. No one sat.

“Please, take a seat and we can discuss how you knew to be here at this time. And why we were unable to find you all these years. Your grandmother must have been beside herself with worry for you, young Neville,” Dumbledore said, looking like a disappointed grandfather peering over his half-moon spectacles at the mention teen.

Neville ignored him, but the rest of the assembly glared. Harry spoke up in his most formal voice. “We will not sit whilst ladies are made to stand,” he said making no move to the chairs and gestured to the two females on the Hogwarts staff. The rest of the SMI group stood by his side.

Taken back by this the Headmaster looked around and noted that there were indeed ladies standing, so he waved his wand again and conjured four more chairs to sit around his rather large one. The Hogwarts staff looked surprised at this, but nonetheless took a seat. Then the SMI group sat.

“Now, Harry, my boy, can you explain to me how you knew to be here,” it was a gently worded demand and not a question. “The goblet only drew names last night. We were going to attempt to send you an owl today.” Dumbledore folded his hands on the desk in front of him and waited for an answer.

“Magic told me,” Harry said with a casual shrug of his shoulder, not offering any more than that.

“Show respect to the Headmaster,” snapped Snape, who looked down his long hooked nose at the teen.

“Shut up, Snivellus,” Sirius snapped back, his grey eyes showing just how much he held this man in contempt. “Harry, is not one of your students, you don’t get to discipline him. That is up to Mr. Scott.”

“Yes, thank you, Sirius. You, sir, will not talk to my students that way,” Mr. Scott glared at the ugly man, not the least intimidated by his dark looks.

“Severus, please,” the old man mediated, thinking maybe it had been a mistake inviting his staff to this meeting. He knew well the Potion Master’s hate for all Potters and Blacks, though he had no idea when he invited the man along that Sirius would be part of the gathering.

The greasy haired man sat back in his chair, but the glare never left his shallow face. The rest of the Hogwarts staff exchanged glances at this. They were use to everyone automatically respecting the famed Headmaster. It might do well to keep an eye on these Yanks.

“Now, Harry…”

“Mr. Potter, sir, do you forget your manners? I have not given you leave to call me by my first name. Nor any of my party,” Harry interrupted, those lessons serving him well. Luis would be so proud.

“Very well then, Mr. Potter, would you care to elaborate on your explanation?”

“Not particularly, sir,” the dark and blue headed teen shrugged again as he casually relaxed in his chair. Gasps were heard on the headmaster’s side of the office and Dumbledore had to hold up his hand to prevent any further acts of discipline against the impertinence.

“I must insist,” a bit of steel was laced in that voice now as the Headmaster leaned forward on his desk.

“Insist all you wish, Headmaster. I only answer to five people and you, sir, are not among them,” Harry said adding his own bit of coldness, sitting up straighter and leaning forward just a little, his green eyes flashed in defiance.

“I am your magical guardian; therefore you do answer to me.”

The SMI group laughed, taking the Hogwarts group by surprise. After a few minutes the laughter died off and Sirius spoke up. “Albus, you haven’t been his magical guardian since he was fifteen months old. Actually, you’ve never been his magical guardian. I signed off on that while I was still falsely imprisoned. It’s documented at Gringotts and the Ministry that Gillian Owens is his magical guardian,” he said with a chuckle still in his voice. Causing confused looks, how could he sign off on something while incarcerated? Were the thoughts that ran through their minds. “Being the Supreme Mugwump, how could you not know that?” Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dumbledore was asking himself the same question, the Wizengamot had awarded him the guardianship the day after the Longbottoms died. Silence held the room for a minute.

“Pray tell, how did you manage that?” Professor Flitwick voiced the question.

“Sorry, can’t tell you,” Sirius answered, not unkindly, he always liked the little professor. “All I can tell you is that it is perfectly legal and Gillian Owen is his guardian in all ways.” He shrugged it was none of their business.

“I want to make it very clear to you, old man, that Harry is my nephew in all but blood. Don’t make me angry by trying to interfere with that,” Gilly hissed, tapping her finger on the surface of the desk. Her hair started to lift, her eyes flashed and a small wind was felt through the office. While Jim had told them this was a good man, he was not making a very good impression on her right now.

“Thanks, Aunt Gilly,” Harry said placing his hand on her arm to calm her. The last thing they needed was to show their strength to these people. It might be needed later.

Sirius pulled her chair closer and placed his arm around her shoulders to add further support. She sat back calmer, but still alert.

“Can you tell me how that came to pass?” the Headmaster asked, his voice back to being grandfatherly. Thinking manipulation and not intimidation was in order.

“No,” came the succinct answer from the reddish blonde witch.

Dumbledore sighed, this was not going well. It was obvious that they weren’t going to give him answers. He then took a parchment off his desk and handed it to Mr. Scott. “These are the rules of the tournament, young Harry…” he stopped at the clearing of many throats and reiterated, “Mr. Potter, will need to know them.”

“Do you have any idea how someone on the other side of the world was entered into a competition he knew little about?” Mr. Scott asked as his took the parchment and glanced over the rules then handed it down the line so everyone there could read them.

“Alas, we have not begun to look into it as of yet,” the Headmaster answered, expecting it to be dropped.

“Have you informed your Ministry?”

“Why would we inform them? This is something that can be handled by me and my staff,” Dumbledore answered confusion clear on his wrinkled face.

“Is this not a Ministry sponsored event? That is what it says on the document you just handed me,” Mr. Scott countered.

“Well, yes it is, however, I have great faith that we will find the culprit ourselves.”

Everyone watched the two head people in the room. The Hogwarts staff a little shocked that anyone would be questioning the man they all listened to categorically. The SMI group with small looks of smugness as they sat back and let the two men talk.

“Headmaster Dumbledore, I don’t think you understand. Our government knows what has happened and they are very upset. They want answers and they want them now. They want a thorough investigation on why one of their citizens was drawn into a magically binding contract without his consent. And no I am not going to tell you how we knew, you only need to know that we did and are ready to take steps to find out why,” the Vice Principal stated firmly, looking the Hogwarts Headmaster straight in the eye.

The American Government had been informed the same time the school had. They made sure that all documentation for the SMI group was legal and complete. They also had a team standing by to intervene if required.

“Was it completely necessary to bring the government into this?” Dumbledore asked disappointment laced his voice, as he sat back into his chair. His mind running through how much the American Government could ruin his plans. They were a formidable congress and with him being in charge of the ICW it meant that he could not step a foot out of line if he was under the eyes of another government. The British government rarely interfered with Dumbledore, so nothing was ever reported to the ICW, unless it was through him. The United States Government, however, would hold no such qualms and report anything they found amiss.

“Of course it was. Great Merlin, man, one of our citizens could lose his magic to a contract he didn’t sign. Not only that, but he could lose his life in a competition that is designed for adults. Of course they needed to know,” Mr. Scott snapped not understanding why they wouldn’t be involved.

Dumbledore once again realized this was another discussion he would not win. It was too late anyhow the government was involved and there was little he could do. “Very well, I will inform the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the happenings thus far,” he conceded. He, the other school Heads, Bagman and Crouch had decided last night, after the students went to bed, to allow Dumbledore to do the investigating. Now it looked like all that planning was for naught.

Mr. Scott pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to the Headmaster. “Here is the Floo connection and phone numbers of our State Department. They want to be kept up to date on your findings. They ask me to tell you if they don’t think you are moving fast enough then they already have a petition going to the ICW to come and start their own investigation,” he said, sitting back in his chair, calmer now.

“Now that that is all settled, we can discuss where you will be staying and how your studies are going to be completed. You are, of course, welcome to attend our classes and dine with our students,” Albus said moving on to what he hoped to be a safer topic. Leaving the matter of why Harry could not be found for a later date.

The teens chuckled, and the adults (and Sirius) shook their heads. “Didn’t you see the big houseboat floating on the lake?” Sirius asked in a mocking tone of voice. “It is set up so that they have whatever they need to study and rest.”

“Is that what that is, alas, it was a bit far out for my old eyes to see. Then you have your own accommodations, which is very convenient. You are still welcome to move the… houseboat closer to shore. It would make it easier for your students to come to the castle for lessons. Though the method you used this morning looks more than fun,” Dumbledore said his twinkle once again present.

“From what Uncle Sirius tells me your classes are not up to par with our own,” Harry spoke up, making all heads turn to him. “So we will have to decline your generous offer.”

“What do you mean, not up to par with yours? We are the best school in all of Europe,” McGonagall spoke for the first time, insulted by this uppity teenager, that didn’t even know how to dress properly —blue hair indeed. She was not at all impressed with this child, Boy-Who-Lived notwithstanding.

“Perhaps I was mistaken, do you have computer classes here? Things might have changed since Mr. Black’s time, progression and all that,” the young man inquired.

“What is a computer?” Flitwick queried with a tilt of his small head.

“That answers that question, since you don’t have the required equipment that is needed for our studies we will be staying on the boat,” Mr. Scott intervened and then looked at the Professors’ curious faces and added. “You and your students are more than welcome to have a tour of our classrooms, though only a few at a time.” He was an educator after all. “We cannot bring the boat closer as your wards would interfere with our electronics,” he explained vaguely. This offer incited excited whispers.

“Perhaps you can take meals with us,” Dumbledore offered, a little put out that they would not take studies with the Hogwarts students. He was hoping to impress the two boys and lure them into staying in Britain. He was sure that these… computers were inferior to the lessons offered by Hogwarts, but there was little he could do if they had already made their own plans. The Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute students studied in their own housing, so he could not push the matter. He was still confused as to how they knew what was needed in such a short amount of time. But judging on how this meeting was going so far, he would receive no answer to that question.

“I think, we can take breakfast with your students and your guest, but we follow a strict diet,” Mr. Scott compromised, thinking that one meal a day wouldn’t hurt.

Dumbledore sighed again, again having to back down. He was not use to this type of conversation. “If you provide a list of foods that you have on your diet, then the house elves will do their best to make sure it is served.”

“I’ll have Kippy, our free elf, take a menu to your elves tonight, along with the recipes,” the Vice Principal said, and then got up from his chair and the rest of the group followed suit. “We have to get the students in class, it is already past time. If there isn’t anything else?” he asked and offered his hand to the old man. Nodding his head to the others.

“No, I believe we covered the basics,” Dumbledore and his staff also rose from their seats. The Headmaster took the hand and shook it and nodded to the SMI crowd. The group of six left the office and once more made their way through the castle, whispers and pointing followed them everywhere they went.

When they came to the shore they noted that the rest of the SMI students were in discussions with students from all three schools. Mr. Scott broke it up by saying, “Forgive us, we must attend classes now. I am sure that you are missing yours as well.”

Students looked at their watches in mild horror and gathered up their belongings and ran for which ever building had their lessons. The SMI group turned and headed back to the boat, via their boards, laughing as the waves caused them to lift in the air. They really loved these boards.

All the apprentices took the younger students to the classrooms. Agent Mumford was doing a perimeter check, Luis was arranging his class, and the Mr. Scott, Gilly and Sirius gathered in the Vice Principals office, which contained little more than a desk (with a computer), three extra chairs, a bookcase and a table off to the side of the desk that had standard office equipment on it. They all settled and discussed what happened in the meeting. Sirius was chuckling all the while, Gilly nudging him in the ribs to get him to stop, which made him chortle more. “Sirius, seriously, stop laughing,” she scolded; she didn’t think the talk had been funny at all.

“You don’t understand, no one ever stands up to Dumbledore, well hardly anyone,” Sirius said his laughter finally dying down. He sat straighter in his chair, but amusement still sparkled in his eyes.

“Yes, well, I think the talk went well enough,” Mr. Scott said arranging the parchment with the rules in front of him. “Let’s talk about these rules for now and leave Dumbledore until he actually tries anything,” he suggested reading over the paper once again and then turned to his computer and opened the scanner program to make sure a copy was emailed to the Principal. “According to this,” he gestured at the rules, “I can’t help Harry in anyway. I will be told what the tasks are, but am forbidden to explain them to anyone else. So he will have to go in blind, unless he stumbles across the tasks themselves. You two are not part of the staff, so you can train him anyway you want.” He didn’t know Death had told them about the tasks.

“Well, that’s something,” Gilly said with a sigh of disappointment, but she guessed she understood. She knew Harry was more than up to whatever these people threw at him. They had trained already, but she knew that the teen was still worried.

“Don’t worry, Gilly-bean, Harry’s a powerhouse all on his own. That and do you think he is going to just sit and wait to find out what he’s up against. No, that boy will turn over every stone in the castle to find out,” Sirius said for the benefit of Mr. Scott. He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

She looked at him with grateful eyes, more than happy he was here to support her. “We better get to the house and get unpacked. Madam Longbottom will be showing up soon and I want to make sure everything is ready for her visit with Neville tonight.” She stood and offered her hand to Mr. Scott, “If you need us for anything call us on the mirrors. I am pretty sure phones won’t work in Hogsmeade, which reminds me thank you for your offer of the computers to keep in touch with the Aunts.”

Mr. Scott rose and took her hand and said, “Of course, it is no problem, as long as you come after lessons.” He then took Sirius’ hand and showed them the way out, stopping to gather suitcases first. Gilly and Sirius had their own boards to get to shore.

When they reached the village they went to a house that was close to the Forbidden Forest, it stayed empty for years because of its location, but Sirius snatched it up the second he knew they were coming. He remembered the old couple that used to live there, from his time at Hogwarts. They had been a nice couple that offered to lead kids back to the path if they got lost exploring. They always had tea and biscuits for the kids on Hogsmeade weekends. It was sad to see the house empty, but fortunate for them.

It was a small house, only one bedroom, one bath, a living room, dining room and kitchen. It would serve them well for their stay. Kippy had already been there and the furniture (Sirius had purchased when he bought the house), floors and surfaces were all free of dust. The cold-box was stuffed with food and the bed was made. There was a small clearing behind the house that led to the forest. A larger yard was in the front, with small trees and bushes dotting the area. No electronics were in the house, it was all magical.

Gilly was already making plans to put some tables in the yard to invite others to visit and gossip. This way she could get word on what was happening here in Britain and how people felt about Harry, so they could plan accordingly. Sirius had already hired a solicitor to handle the press. They settled down to breakfast and waited for Madam Longbottom to join them. Gilly broke out the photo album so she could show off her nephews. It was going to be a long day, hopefully a happy one.

**Hppmhppm**

**AN: Just a reminder that technology is brought up a few years, so emails, Internet and all that is in this fic. I don’t remember if I said it before, so I apologize if I have not. I am not bringing it completely up to date, but I need the students to be able to turn in their assignments and if I remember correctly and judging from what little I can find on the Internet, these were in practice, just not very fast or dependable.**


	29. Dining With Gran

**AN: I would like to thank my beta for looking over this fic, darrelldeam. All mistakes are my own. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy.**

_AN: I completely forgot about Agent Mumford and Luis joining the team. So I went back and added them to the last chapter. They are only in the background at this time, so no need to re-read._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_Later that same day_ **

It was a crisp autumn afternoon; you could tell winter was coming by the bite in the air. Gilly had conjured a temporary table with three comfortable chairs and a large umbrella to keep the sun off. She placed a big cauldron near it and started a fire within, to ward off the chill. But the sun was bright and there were still a few birds singing. So she wanted to have the conversation with Madam Longbottom outside.

Kippy had made sure there were plenty of sandwich makings, cakes, cookies and hot drinks. Sirius informed her that it would be afternoon tea time when the older lady was to join them. And with his help she set up the service. Kippy would not be helping them at this time, unless they found they couldn’t go it alone, which Gilly doubted. She lived without a house elf all her life so not having one was easy for her. Sirius would just have to learn.

At exactly 4 p.m. there was a ‘crack’ in the air and they knew that Madam Longbottom had arrived. So Gilly went outside to greet her guest. Madam Longbottom was dress in an old fashion dress that went to the floor, there was a vulture on her hat and she carried a rather large cloth purse. Gilly was dress more modern in black slack and a puffy blouse.

“You must be Neville’s grandmother,” Gilly said holding out her hand in greeting. “I’ve always wanted to meet you. Your letters to Neville are one of the few things he had of his family. Thank you for keeping in contact with him.”

Augusta took the hand and offered her own greeting. “Yes, I am Augusta Longbottom, you may call me Gussy. It is I that should be thanking you for all the reports you have sent to me over the years. They made this old woman’s life have meaning again. I cannot thank you enough for raising a fine young man that is my Neville.”

“Come on, let’s sit,” Gilly said taking the older woman’s arm and leading her to the table. “I don’t stand on formality, so you’ll have to forgive me if my manners are not… well mannerly.”

Augusta just nodded her head in understanding and took the chair offered to her. She was a little surprised that they would be taking tea outside, but upon thinking about it found it rather nice. And with the fire close by and the bird chirping, it was rather relaxing.

Sirius came out with the tea tray at that moment and after he set it down he took Augusta’s hand and placed a kiss on it. “Madam Longbottom, it is wonderful to see you again.” He was dressed in expensive jeans and a black polo shirt.

“Well met, Mr. Black. I told you before, you have leave to call me Gussy,” the elderly lady said with a slight blush. This young man always charmed her.

“Well then, manners aside for everyone. Gussy, old gal, how have you been?” Sirius said as he indicated that Gilly should pour the tea.

Gilly took up the pot and started to pour and offered, “You can call me Gilly, everyone does.”

Tea and cakes served the three started talking about the years the boys had grown. Laughter filled the air and Augusta had the most relaxed tea she had had since she was a little girl. Gilly brought the photo album out and they shared the story behind each picture.

“This was a time when they were three. We had just taught them to change their toys from round to square. Neville had decided he was going to try and do the spell while floating the ball in the air. It exploded on him and he turned blue for the rest of the day. Still not sure how that happened,” Gilly giggled at the memory.

“You have been teaching them Transfiguration since they were three?” the flabbergasted woman asked.

“Well yeah, they were pretty good at it to,” Gilly replied and then turned to the next picture. It had been taken on Neville’s third birthday and he was covered from head to toe in green cake. She laughed and showed the picture to Gussy. “He tried to change the shape of the cake and we all wound up wearing it. Kippy was so angry. I never did thank you for sending her. She is a godsend; she taught the boys so much. We freed her you know, and she has her own job now. There are lots of free elves in the USA now and I set up an agency to hire them out. It has worked well. Maybe you can set one up here.”

“An agency to hire out free elves? How on earth did you manage that? Where would you even find free elves?” Gussy asked, glad she was sitting down. This woman in front of her kept throwing her for a loop with every other sentence she uttered.

“They’re everywhere,” Gilly said airily, causing more confusion, “when someone dies and doesn’t will them to someone else they are just wondering around until they find another family. Kippy finds them and tells them about the agency and we hire them on.” She waved her hand in the air like it was no big thing.

“And this agency works for you, people hire free elves?”

“Yeah, mostly shop owners, but some caterers hire them for cooking and serving parties,” Gilly answered finally realizing that she was confusing the other woman. “Kippy told us the history around house elves. She told us they don’t need a bond, however they need to work. So when we weren’t giving her enough work we talked a shop we knew about into hiring her for stocking merchandise. And it snowballed from there,” she explained.

“Why would you not give her enough work? There are five people in your household,” Gussy questioned trying to figure out how her grandson was raised and who these… extravagant women were. They taught things never even heard of here on the Isles.

“Yeah, but we do our own chores. So she never had enough work,” Gilly said, trying to figure out a way to explain it better.

“Gussy,” Sirius said bringing the attention to him. “It works; believe me I understand what you’re thinking right now. It took me months to accept what they did. But, the one thing you have to understand about the Owens women is they do for themselves. Kippy only does the garden, the cooking and the laundry. Since her magic interferes with electricity she doesn’t do the other chores.”

“Actually, it is most of the US that is that way. We like to do for ourselves. Only the very rich and snotty people have house elves, which is why it is so hard for the freed ones to find another family. No one wants them, they pity them, but they don’t want them,” Gilly added, hoping that would explain it better.

Augusta nodded her head finally getting the idea. And they went back to the telling of Neville’s childhood. It was around six in the evening when the cold got too much, so Gilly invited Gussy to stay to dinner so they could talk about what they were going to do now.

“Neville and Harry should be joining us soon,” Gilly said from the kitchen where she was preparing a light meal of fish and rice. Sirius was sitting with Gussy at the table that was in the adjoined dining area. “They should be _Jumping_ in any minute now.”

“What is _Jumping_?” Gussy asked.

“It’s a form of _Apparition_ ,” Sirius explained setting his cup on the table, “but unlike anything I’ve ever done. There is no noise, it is more like walking from one spot and appearing in the next. Gilly-bean invented it and taught it to everyone. It is so smooth and you never have to fear that you will lose a body part. The only downfall is you might walk into someone. But at least you don’t have to worry about landing on them.”

“That sounds wonderful; do you think you can teach me? Apparition is becoming hard for me in my old age,” the older woman asked with something akin to anticipation in her voice. To learn something new at her age would be marvelous.

Gilly shrugged her shoulder as she took the rice off the stove and spooned it into a dish. Bringing the steaming bowl to the table she said, “Don’t see why not, I taught the Aunts and they’re just a little younger than you. Those two will never grow up though, and we prefer them that way. It makes life interesting.”

The door opened without out preamble and Neville and Harry walked in calling greetings. “We’re here, and damn if it isn’t cold out there,” Neville shouted as he walked into the dining area, and then he spotted the older woman at the table. She rose and there were tears in her eyes and he knew this was his grandmother. “Forgive the abrupt entry, I didn’t know there would be a guest,” he said and he took her withered hands in his young ones and placed a gently kiss on her wrinkled cheek. “It is wonderful to meet you finally, Gran. I was not expecting you to be here until tomorrow.”

“Your Aunt Gilly invited me to dine. Oh, Neville you have grown to be just as powerful as your father. He would be so proud. I know I am,” she said and placed her own kiss on his cheek and then let him guide her back to her chair.

There was a clearing of a throat and Neville blushed a little. “Forgive my manners, Gran this is Harry Potter. Harry this is my grandmother, Madam Augusta Longbottom.”

“It is nice to meet you, Madam Longbottom,” Harry said as he kissed the back of her hand.

“Well met, Mr. Potter, you have my leave to call me Gran. You are practically family after all. My you have grown to be a handsome young man. Though I don’t know about that hair,” she said with mild disapproval.

“Oh, my hair is colored this way for a reason; fear not my manners are impeccable. Luis, our tutor, taught us very well,” Harry said as he removed his fedora and hung it off the side of his chair, since there was no hat rack. His jacket joined the hat on the other side. Neville hung his off the back of his chair. Both were still dressed in the jeans and t-shirts they wore that morning. Neville had on sneakers and Harry combat boots.

“Did you three have a good afternoon?” Neville inquired as he took his seat.

Gilly was just bringing in the fish and vegetable stir-fry and placing it on the table, “Yup, I showed her all your pictures and embarrassed the heck out of you, without you having to be here. Isn’t that great?” she teased as she took her seat. “Well, dig in.”

The next few minutes were spent serving up dinner. Augusta was a little curious about this dish, not used to just a light fare. Nothing was fried and there were no sauces; just fish, vegetables and rice. There was a bottle that had the label of ‘soy sauce’, but she had no idea what that was. She watched everyone else and when it seemed that you added this ‘soy sauce’ to your rice, sometimes with butter other times not, she tried it on a small portion and decided she liked the salty taste.

“So, Gran, Sirius has tried to keep us up to date on the political arena, but can you tell us more. We don’t want to go in blind,” Neville asked between bites, though it is usually considered bad manners to talk about such at the dinner table, he was used to casualness.

Madam Longbottom was taken aback by the question at first then brushed the feeling away, deciding she liked the casual atmosphere. “As you know, I have been sitting in proxy on the Wizengamot for you,” she waited for his nod. “News is already out that you are here. There was an emergency meeting this afternoon, just before I got here. They do not much care about you, Neville, but they want to try and get Harry to stay in England and are doing their best to find ways to pass laws to do just that,” she warned.

Harry snorted. “They can try all they want. If they pull something the American Government will come down on them so hard they will feel it for years to come.”

“I do not believe you understand just how powerful these people are,” Augusta said firmly, she was worried they might underestimate the Wizengamot and be trapped.

The rest of the table laughed so hard at that warning. It took several minutes to regain control. “Powerful, them?” Harry scoffed, “Believe me when I say I know how powerful they think they are. Don’t worry, Gran, we did our homework and we know just where the Wizengamot stands compared to the rest of the world. And it is not where they think they do,” he said trying to waylay her fears.

“According to the ICW, Britain is third from the bottom in terms of power. The only reason they are even that high is because of Dumbledore’s position on the ICW and the Wizengamot. But to the rest of the wizarding world, Britain is a joke,” Neville added his two Knuts worth and then continued to eat his dinner —completely unfazed.

“They’re right; I didn’t believe it either until I read the research. The American Government was all ready to jump in during the last war, but then Harry happened and they decided to back off for now. But I’ll warn you and the Wizengamot, if they try and take the boys there will be a fight that will make the last war seem like a school yard scuffle. Only it will be fought with lawyers and such, and Britain will be hurt financially and politically,” Sirius concluded a bit of fire in his voice, he was a bit upset they called a meeting and didn’t invite him. He had a seat on the Wizengamot, and they would know just how upset he was in the next meeting. “If they call another meeting, I need you to let me know, Gussy,” he said and she nodded her acknowledgement.

Remus had taken the citizenship offered to him and Sirius and Gilly were still working on their relationship, but he was considering it. If they kept this up he would have no problem walking away.

Once again Augusta was knocked for a loop. “Harry means that much to them?”

“No, it’s not me, it’s the principle of it. They offered me protection, and they take that very seriously,” Harry explained. “This is really good, Aunt Gilly. Even better than Kippy’s, but don’t tell her I said that,” he hurriedly added.

“Thank you, Harry. She did learn from me you know,” Gilly said pleased that she hadn’t lost her touch in cooking.

“Tell me what you guys did in school today,” Sirius said changing the subject. He figured they had given enough to Gussy to think about.

“Well, this is a non-magical week, so we had math and science, and then English and Social Studies. Today in history we studied some British History, non-magical,” Neville said also glad they were dropping politics.

“Tomorrow we’re eating breakfast with the rest of the students, from all three schools. What do you think we can expect?” Harry asked a little worried; after all he was like a rock star here.

“Well, you can expect a lot of whispering and some of the more forward students will ask about your life,” Sirius said rubbing his goatee. “I know if I was still a student, I wouldn’t hesitate to try and find out as much about you as I could.”

“Just be yourself, sweetie, unless you’re in a formal setting then you just be your adorable self. Don’t worry about what other people think, haven’t we always taught you that?” Gilly said in encouragement.

“Yeah, dude, just be confident that nothing they say or think has any effect on who you are. All of us at SMI got your back,” Neville said clapping his cousin on the shoulder.

“Yeah, but, this is the first time I’ll be Harry Potter and not Harry Owens, so I’m a little concerned is all,” Harry said as he gathered up his empty plate and that of Madam Longbottoms and took them into the kitchen. He started up the sink for the dishes and waited for the others to bring their plates. Augusta watched, only the house elves did the housework in her manor.

The rest of the family gathered up the dishes and Neville joined him at the sink.

“I know, well I don’t know, but I think I understand. Don’t worry, cuz, I’ll be right there with you the whole way. And so will Jordan. We won’t let you fall or get a big head,” he said and nudged his cousin with his shoulder.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’m worrying over nothing,” Harry said nudging him back and giving him a big smile in thanks. They did the dishes and then started water for tea.

Gilly, Sirius and Gussy were in the living room looking at the album again. When the boys finished they joined them, bringing tea and cakes. The rest of the night was spent in laughter and reminiscing. Soon the boys had to go back to the houseboat, they bid their good-byes and left.

“I had a wonderful time,” Gussy said as she got ready to depart. “I do not think I have laughed so much since I was very young. Thank you for giving me my grandchild. You have done a wonderful job at raising him. He is a very polite and brilliant young man. Again I cannot thank you enough,” she gushed, very out of character for her.

“I was more than happy to help,” Gilly said giving the elder woman a kiss on the cheek and walking her out to the Apparition point. “We’ll see you soon.” And with that Augusta Longbottom went home happy.

Gilly walked back to the little house and fell into Sirius’ arms. It had been a long day. A happy one, but long. She was glad to be going to bed soon, maybe not to sleep, but relaxing nonetheless.

“Thanks for being here for me,” she said and then planted a big kiss on the man in her arms.

“Anything for you Gilly-bean,” he replied and then kissed her back.

The two retired for the night, knowing that this happy day may be the last one they have for a while.


	30. An Explosive Breakfast At Hogwarts

**AN: I would like to thank my beta for looking over this fic, darrelldeam. All mistakes are my own. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy.**

_AN: There will be a bit of cussing in this one, you have been warned._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_November 2, 1994_ **

The next morning the SMI team gathered together to join the other three schools for breakfast in the Great Hall. They had decided that they would split up and join each House table, unlike Beauxbatons and Durmstrang who were seated at Ravenclaw and Slytherin respectively. This was supposed to be a contest to form international relationships; one could not do that if they sectioned themselves to only a part of a whole. Harry, Neville and Jordan decided to sit with the Gryffindors, it would be expected of them and they figured they could get a better feeling from the house that was… well more open than the rest. Boy were they wrong.

They were still dressed casually in fresh jeans, or slacks, and clean t-shirt with the SMI logo on them. Harry left his hat behind, since they would be indoors. They would not be donning robes just because the Britain’s did. The boards whipped across the lake, whoops and hollers were heard in the early morning air. Each student had a backpack with them so they could share some of what they learned with the students of the other schools. It was easier to show then to just tell. Gilly and Sirius joined them on the shore.

The team put away their boards and went up the stairs to the castle. When they got to the Hall the noise stopped and everyone was looking at them, with various degrees of curiosity or contempt.

“Ah, our guests from Salem Magical Institute, feel free to sit where ever you might feel comfortable,” Dumbledore said as he stood from the Head Table. Mr. Scott shooed his group off and joined the other Headmasters/mistress with the adults of the group and Sirius, who sat as far away from Snape as he could.

The oldest of the group went to the Slytherin table. Harry, Neville and Jordan went to Gryffindor and sat with people who looked to be their own age. The others dispersed to the other tables.

They had just sat down when the questions started.

“Are you really Harry Potter?”

“How did you put your name in the goblet?”

“Where have you been?”

“Do you have the scar?”

“Why is your hair like that?”

And other such questions were thrown their way. Harry stood without saying a word and went to leave. He paused when he was asked, “Where are you going? We just want to know about you,” by a bushy haired young lady.

“I think, we will go and join another table, one that isn’t quite as rude as to not introduce themselves before bombarding us with questions, which are frankly none of your business,” Harry said still standing and giving off the air of someone extremely affronted. Jordan and Neville stood at his side.

“I apologize for my fellow students. Can you really blame us though? We thought you were dead when you didn’t come in your first year,” the same girl said. “I am Hermione Granger, this is Ron Weasley, his sister Ginny and those two twins are his brothers Fred and George,” she said introducing the people immediately around her. Others started to do the same.

The boys sat and gave them another shot at being polite. They told the table who they were and then started to put some of the lighter food on their plates and nodded at the people kind enough to hold off their questions. After eating for a few minutes the girl, Hermione, decided she had waited long enough.

“Can you tell us where you’ve been?” she asked making sure she kept her voice gentle and not pushy.

“Well, as you can tell from our shirts, I grew up in Massachusetts, near the Salem area,” Harry answered, it was a safe answer and one they should know already. It wasn’t like they were hiding it; the shirts plainly stated the name and the state of the school.

“Oh,” was the reply.

“Yeah, but, how did you enter your name if you were across the pond?” a red headed boy asked. Ron, Harry thought his name was.

“I didn’t,” was the short reply, you could hear the confusion and the start of anger in that clipped voice.

“Come on then, how would your name have been entered if you didn’t do it?” Ron pushed, obviously not hearing the undercurrent of Harry’s reply.

“Are all Brits this stupid?” Neville asked, a bit of a bite to his words. “There’s no way Harry could’ve entered himself, so obviously someone else entered him to get him here.” He shook his head and went back to his breakfast, keeping an eye on the faces around the table.

“Really, Ronald, it is the only logical answer. The questions are; who and why,” Hermione said defending the blue and silver streaked headed boy.

“Well, if he is all powerful, like the books say, it is possible for him to do it,” Ron defended himself.

“Don’t tell me you believe that trash,” Harry said his green eyes wide with shock, no one he knew thought for a moment he had done anything in those children’s stories. “I mean really, I don’t even look like the kid on the cover. See no glasses, no wild black hair, and no oversized clothes. We’ve already sued the pants off the author and made him classified the books as fiction. You do know what fiction is, don’t you?” he questioned the boy warily. He really hoped not all the kids in this school were this dumb.

“Of course I know what fiction is, but my mum says there’s always some truth in fiction,” Ron snapped and his siblings nodded their heads in agreement.

“Yeah, my name and sometimes spelling and grammar,” Harry said defiantly, and then he waved his hand closing the subject. He turned to Hermione and said, “Tell me about Hogwarts, I’m curious, what’s happened here in the last three years? I want to know what the school is like.”

“Well, it has been an adventure that’s for sure,” she replied tentatively, not quite sure she should tell him all about what has happened since she entered this wizarding world. It was not a pretty picture.

The Gryffindor boys it seems had no such qualms and regaled the SMI boys with all that happened in the last three years. The stories were straight out of a fantasy novel. Three headed dogs, trolls, ancient artifacts, dead unicorns and dead teacher in the first year. Large snakes, petrified students, a possessed student, bewitched diaries and a dead teacher in the second year. Both years the Headmaster stopped the crimes, though not soon enough in the three boys’ opinions. Not much happened in the third year just a prophecy and a missing rat.

Harry, Neville and Jordan listened in states of shock, Harry was especially glad he hadn’t been around for all these… well not really adventures, but horrifying acts. They had never heard of these happenings and questioned how it could all have been kept from the press.

“So something, or someone, is… haunting this school and you guys think it might be this Voldemort dude?” Harry asked ignoring the flinches. “What’s being done about it?”

“What do you mean, being done?” Hermione asked with a tilt of her head. “The Headmaster says it’s all under control.”

“All under control?” Harry all but shouted. “People are dying, how can that be under control? What is your government doing? Are they building an army? Are you guys getting good defense classes? Are the non-magical parents getting protection? There are lots of things that could be done,” he fired off the most obvious questions.

“Well, no, but we trust the Headmaster to keep us safe. And now that your back, well, it is up to you to protect us. That is why everyone is excited your back,” she explained with a great deal of hesitation, seeing her words were making him more angry.

“Let me get this straight,” Harry said with a clinched jaw as he stood and looked over the crowd of Gryffindors staring at him. “You expect me, someone who doesn’t know you from squat, to protect you?”

“You are the Boy-Who-Lived, isn’t it your responsibility?” Ron asked, not understanding what the issue was. Nods were seen around the table, it is what they were told after all.

“NO! It damn well is not! You fucking people are delusional if you think that.” he exploded. “I am a fourteen year old boy. I don’t have special fucking powers. I am just Harry Potter, no more superior than any of you,” Harry bit out, shaking off Neville’s hand when he tried to calm him down. They hadn’t expected this, some whispers and fans sure, but this, no. They were going to have to talk to the adults about this, though if they were hearing the same gossip then… well the adults would deal with it.

Gilly upon seeing her nephew’s state of agitation ran to his side. The wind had already started kicking up, tossing napkins and some food around. Everyone was staring at him at that outburst. She wrapped her arms around him and said, “Harry, sweetie, you have to calm down before someone gets hurt.” She glared at the teens surrounding them and they all cringed at the icy look in her eyes.

“Calm down? Did you hear what they fucking said? How the hell am I supposed to calm down?” the angry teen yelled, trying and failing to shake off her grip.

“Come on, Harry, let’s go blow something up,” Neville suggested, nudging the upset boy and his aunt towards the doors. “You people better get a clue, ‘cause, dudes, if you keep this up, you’re going to wind up dead.” He finally got Harry and Gilly moving towards the doors, Jordan and the rest of the SMI group stood and joined them.

“I can’t believe you let your students think such things, Headmaster,” they heard Mr. Scott say. “You should be ashamed of yourself, setting up a child in such a manner.” He too got up to join his students, throwing his napkins on his plate. “I don’t believe we will be joining you for meals after all. Not until you dissuade your students of such — notions.”

The staff of the other three schools looked on with different emotions fluttering across their faces.

The Beauxbatons’ Headmistress, Madam Maxime, was shocked. She had always told her students not to rely on a mere boy to save them. That if a Dark Lord were to come into power they were to be able to defend themselves. Her country like many others understood that Voldemort was dead, but didn’t think that other Dark Lords may not arise.

Headmaster Karkaroff had informed his students in much the same manner. Durmstrang never relied on anyone but themselves in time of war. He knew, via his Dark Mark, that the Dark Lord wasn’t gone, plus the mark was getting darker. He feared for his life and that of his students, defense was studied every day, due to this.

The Hogwarts staff was different, Dumbledore’s word was always taken as law, and if he said that everything was under control they believed it. No uppity child, with a foul mouth, would sway them from their beliefs, boy hero or not. Some of them were shocked that the gossip that was still going on about the Boy-Who-Lived was held in such high regards, seeing as how everyone thought him dead.

The Great Hall was in an uproar, many were devastated by the fact that their childhood hero would not be standing up for them. Others were angry at the manner in which he vilified them. Who did that half-blood think he was, insulting them?

The SMI crew finally made it outside; they looked around to see if they could find any place where Harry could let off some steam. Near the Forbidden Forest was a glade that had some large rocks, it didn’t seem to be used for anything so they herded him towards it.

“Can you believe this shit?” Harry said as he sent a blasting curse to one of the rocks, blowing it up spectacularly. “How can they think this?”

“Not everyone does,” said Scott Wilder, who had been sitting with the Slytherins, causing Harry to stop and look at him in a questioning manner. “The Slytherins think you’re just some dumb kid who likes to play hero.”

“Yeah,” confirmed Steven Diaz, who had been sitting with the Ravenclaws. “The Ravenclaws don’t believe the rumors about you either. They don’t trust the Headmaster quite so blindly. They’re thinkers and can see the signs. They have a defense group going, in case of war.”

“The Hufflepuffs, on the other hand, believe every word that comes out of the Headmasters mouth,” said Nicole Lisle with a sad shake of her head.

“I think, for the time being we should limit our interaction with Hogwarts students. Harry, you will be serving detention with me for your foul language,” Mr. Scott said and held up his hand to ward off the tirade he could see coming. “You know better. I understand why you vented, however, you were taught not to do such things, especially to children. Luis will be sitting with us to go over some meditation to further control your anger.” Luis was seen nodding and giving his student a disappointed look. Harry hung his head and nodded. They were right he did lose his temper on a bunch of kids who didn’t know better.

“Yes, sir,” he said contritely, completely calm now.

“I am sorry to say, but for your trip to Gringotts, you are grounded to the boat for a week,” Mr. Scott added.

“Yes, sir,” Harry said, it was more than fair, and he could use the time to clear his head. Gilly and Sirius went to protest, but stopped at the look they got from Luis.

“He broke the rules; you know what happens when he does that. You agreed that he was under school rules, while here. He is not above getting punishment for such transgressions,” Luis said firmly, he knew well that these two needed to have a firm hand when it came to disciplining the Owens boys.

“Let’s get to class. PE will be held at the Quidditch pitch later this afternoon. So make sure you have your uniforms ready. Kippy says she will make sure they are clean, if you put them in the hampers before class,” Mr. Scott said changing the subject. Now that tempers were cooler they all went back to the houseboat, very disappointed that their first interaction with Hogwarts was so volatile.

Gilly and Sirius used the Internet to write the Aunts and then went back to their house. Agent Mumford left to find an area where she could call her superiors and let them know what happened. The rest of the SMI group spent the day like they did any other. Though they were a little disconcerted when a large group of students from the other three schools watched their PE class. Not knowing that those schools didn’t have PE.

Harry spent the night in meditation. He really needed to have a clearer head if he was going to deal with the Brits and the goblins. He couldn’t afford to lose his cool like that again. Though the goblins were mostly on his side, thanks to Jim, they still were a grouchy bunch. Well, he would be dealing with them tomorrow after classes.


	31. Diagon Alley

**AN: I would like to thank my betas for looking over this fic, alix33 and darrelldeam. All mistakes are my own.**

_AN: Sorry for the delay in updates, I was working on my other story ‘Potters Stand United’. There will more than likely be more delays in updating this one. I do however thank all those that reviewed and commented in this fic._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_November 3, 1994_ **

Harry got up the next morning feeling much calmer. He went to classes and spent his breaks with friends on the houseboat, only leaving for PE. It was after classes he went and changed his clothes. He slicked back his blue and silver streaked hair as best he could and donned a suit. It was a dark blue suit, which matched the blue in his hair. He added a matching fedora. In his opinion he looked pretty slick.

Harry met up with Neville, who was wearing a dark green suit. And they went to the front of the boat. Instead of using the hoverboards, they wanted to see if Jumping would work in Hogwarts, so they nodded to each other and disappeared. They reappeared next to Gilly, Sirius and Agent Mumford, who were waiting at the edge of the lake.

Gilly had on her usual flowing skirts and a nice blouse. The skirts were three different shades of grey and made of heavier material than she was used to. The blouse was pink and had flowing sleeves. She wore a long grey winter’s coat over the top.

Sirius was dressed in black robes with red and gold highlights. He was ever the Gryffindor.

Agent Mumford had on a woman pants suit, like most government agents on assignment. You could see the slight bulge where her gun was. Not that the wizards in this country would know what it was.

“Are you guys ready to go?” Gilly asked as she straightened up Harry’s tie and tried to flatten his hair more.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Neville answered. After meeting the kids at Hogwarts he was hopeful that no one recognized Harry until they got to the bank.

“I think you’re going to love Diagon Alley,” Sirius said with a grin. He remembered the first time he went to the Alley as a kid; thank Merlin it wasn’t with his mother. No, his Uncle Alphard took him when he was five. Out of all his relatives that man was his favorite uncle. He never subscribed to the whole pure-blood genre. It was thanks to him Sirius survived when he ran away. Well the Potters helped, but had Alphard not left him money he would have had do bum off the Potters until he found work.

“Pffft, maybe, if the people there aren’t idiots,” Harry scoffed, batting Gilly’s hands away.

“Well, I wouldn’t count on that,” Sirius said rubbing his forehead. He knew what all of magical Britain thought of Harry.

“That is what I’m afraid of. Do we have to do this today?” Harry asked turning his big green eyes to his aunt.

“Yes, and don’t you try those puppy eyes with me,” she told him as she resisted messing up his hair. She knew all the trouble Harry had fixing his hair. “We’ll get done as quickly as we can. Sirius said there’s an ice cream parlor there, if you’re a good boy we can get some chocolate ice cream when you’re done,” she added in a cute little voice, teasing her nephew.

The boys perked up, disregarding the teasing note. Sirius and Remus had both told them about Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and the many different flavors of ice cream they had. “Speaking of chocolate have you gone to Honeydukes yet? The Aunts wanted you to send them back some candy,” Neville asked as they made their way across the grounds.

“I was going to wait till this weekend, but then someone got grounded. I’ll go tomorrow and have Kippy take some back,” Gilly said. She couldn’t wait to get her hand on some of that world famous chocolate. “Unless you want me to wait, Neville,” she stated knowing Neville wasn’t the chocolate hog Harry was. He shook his head and gestured that she should go ahead without him.

“It wasn’t my fault; well it was, but not completely. Did you hear what they were saying? They all talked like I was the reincarnation of Merlin and that it was my _job_ to save them all,” Harry defended himself. “My job, like that was my whole reason for being.” He waved his hands in the air, showing his frustration.

“Don’t start, you know better than to lose your temper like that. Your magic gets all wonky,” Gilly said giving him a one armed hug as they left the gates of Hogwarts.

“Come on, let’s get to Gringotts,” Sirius said leading the way to the Three Broomsticks.

“I hate the Floo,” Harry grumbled. He could Jump and even Apparate, but Floos hated him. Portkeys weren’t much better.

“I keep telling you all you have to do is pause before you step out of the Floo. Then you won’t wind up on your arse,” Sirius lectured —again. He never understood why someone so graceful in the air couldn’t use the Floo.

“And I keep telling you, I have no idea when I’ve come to my stop. I just shoot out of the Floo,” Harry snapped back.

“Stop it, both of you. This argument is getting old. Harry, you only have to use the Floo one time, then you can Jump,” Gilly said. She hated when people argued, especially with her boys.

“Sorry, Aunt Gilly,” Harry said giving her a peck on the cheek.

“Sorry, sweetie,” Sirius said kissing the other cheek and put his arm around her waist and gave a squeeze.

They continued down High Street. Hogsmeade was a quaint village, with wooden store fronts and slated roofs. The thatched cottages looked like something off a postcard. Harry couldn’t make up his mind whether to think it was cute or far behind the times. He decided that it was both.

The Three Broomsticks was warm, crowded, and a bit smoky, but clean and welcoming. A mirror behind the bar reflected the cozy atmosphere. The barkeep, a Madam Rosmerta, was a lovely middle aged woman, who had a beautiful smile. She made you feel right at home in her bar, or Harry guessed he should call it a pub or inn.

“Sirius Black, as I live and breathe, are you stopping for tea today?” the blonde lady asked, as she wiped some glasses.

“Ah, the lovely Rosmerta, not today,” he said taking her hand and giving it a kiss, which caused her to smack him on his chest. “I would like to introduce my wonderful lady friend, Gillian Owens. Her nephews, Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter. Our escort of the day, Agent Mumford,” he said indicating each person with a sweep of his hand.

To her credit she didn’t do more that gasp at the name and flick her eyes to Harry’s forehead, which of course was covered by his hat. She then turned her attention to Gilly. “It is wonderful to meet the woman who could tame this scoundrel,” Madam Rosmerta laughed and held out her hand.

“It was a lot of work, I tell ya,” Gilly said taking the hand and giving it a friendly shake.

“Madam Rosmerta, you have a lovely establishment. Were we not in a hurry I would like nothing more than to feast on the delicious smelling food,” Harry said taking the woman’s hand and kissing it.

Rosmerta nodded at the politeness of the young man. “Thank you for the compliment. I am sure you’ll find time in the future.”

Neville and Agent Mumford gave their greetings and the group set off to the Floo. Adding a couple of Sickles to the pot next to the powder, they each entered the fireplace called out “Diagon Alley” and went on their way.

Harry went last as Agent Mumford wanted to make sure it was safe before he got to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry, as usual, shot out of the Floo and landed on his bum. He got up and waved his hand and straightened his suit. All the ash disappeared and the wrinkles flattened. He looked around and noted that inside the pub, it was dark and shabby, with a bar and a number of tables in the shadows of the corners. The tables and floor were crusty and the corners had cobwebs in them.

There only were a few patrons at the moment, a couple of hags in the corner and a man reading a non-magical science book. This shocked the party, as they thought all British wizards thought non-magicals were just above apes.

Sirius waved to the barman, whose toothless head looked like a walnut, and escorted them to the dingy alley behind the Inn.

“Do people really eat there?” Harry asked his nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Oi, I’ll have you know Tom makes some of the best food in Diagon Alley,” Sirius said defensively.

“That may be so, but that place would have been closed down by a Health Inspector in a minute back home. Good food is all well and good, but the rest of the joint was filthy,” Harry argued back as he looked around the little alley they were in. it was a small brick square that had a few garbage cans and some broken chairs. Nothing like the store that fronted the entrance to SunSpot Alley.

“I’m with Harry on this one,” Gilly said shuddering a little at the thought of eating in that place.

“Me too,” Neville added his two cents worth.

“What about you, Agent Mumford?” Sirius said put out that everyone was ganging up on him. He adored Tom’s cooking and was a bit upset that they were putting it down.

“I am sorry, Sirius, but they’re right, if this place were inspected it would be shut down,” the Agent said, holding her hand up in a what-can-you-do motion.

Sirius deflated, after living in the States these past few years, he knew they were right. Still it was the principle of the matter. This is his home —he looked at Gilly and added to himself —was his home. “Fine,” he grumbled and then took out his wand and tapped the bricks to open the archway to Diagon Alley. “Welcome to Diagon Alley,” he said with a flourishing wave of his arm.

Inside the Alley is an assortment of restaurants, shops, and other sights; some even had tables out front with colored umbrellas. The shops include many school-supply stores; there are also many locations important to the wizarding world, such as Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Ollivander’s wand shop.

The group looked at Diagon Alley and couldn’t help comparing it to SunSpot Alley. The contrast was vast, where SunSpot was clean and organized; Diagon Alley was cluttered and looked like magic was holding many of the stores together. The dimness of Scotland’s winter sun paled to the light that was ever present in the SunSpot. Diagon Alley was noisy, where SunSpot was calmer. Though they had to admit that Diagon Alley had character.

“Gringotts is that big white building towards the middle of the Alley,” Sirius said as he guided them through the street.

The boys looked around as they passed the shops. There were quite a few they wouldn’t mind looking at when they were done with Gringotts. The broom shop looked promising and Harry wouldn’t mind shopping in the pet store. He had left his snakes at home and was wondering if they had some here he wouldn’t be able to find in the States. If they did he could purchase some and have Kippy take them home. In his opinion one can never have too many pets.

The cousins shivered as they passed the mouth of a dark street. You could just feel the wrongness of Knockturn Alley. They peeked down the dark cramped street and saw hags selling what looked to be human fingers, men and women in hooded robes scurrying among the shops. None of the shops had light in the windows and they looked to be in worse condition than the stores in Diagon Alley. The foreboding atmosphere was enough to keep the boys from wanting to explore.

As the party walked down Diagon Alley, they felt eyes gazing upon them. They were some of the few people that were dressed in non-magical clothes. They ignored the stares and stopped to look at the large white marble building that was Gringotts. Unlike the Gringotts in SunSpot Alley, this building was imposing. Goblins guarded the doors, with wicked looking bladed weapons. This gave off the feeling they didn’t trust wizards.

The group nodded to the guards and made their way inside. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these.

They waited their turn in line and when they made it to the front, the goblin teller growled at them, “What do you want?”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said a little snidely, “are you having a bad day? Because, I’ve got to tell you, that is no way to greet important customers.” He folded his arms and looked at the grumpy clerk.

“Oh, important are you? Well, we will just see about that. Name?” the goblin sneered back his beady black eyes narrowed. He was too use to wizards thinking they were above everyone else.

“Harry Potter,” Harry sniffed, like he was some pure-blood.

The goblin froze and his face paled a funny shade of grey. He looked around like he would be struck dead at any second. Every goblin knew the story of Harry Potter being protected by Death. He straightened up and with his politest voice said, “I apologize. What can Gringotts do for you today?”

“I would like to see Head Accountant Spearhead, he is expecting me,” Harry answered not relaxing his stance. “I would also like it if Mr. Roberts could be called in.” He handed him the card that the lawyer had given to Death all those years ago.

“Of course, if you and your party will follow me,” the still unnamed goblin said as he jumped off his high stool. He led the way to a meeting room. It was simple, but clean. The wooden floors and the marble walls complemented each other. The large wooden table with ten comfortable chairs was the only furniture in the room. There were some weapons on the wall, which were probably meant to show that the goblins weren’t intimidated by wizards.

“Spearhead will be with you momentarily,” the teller said as he left the room.

“Man, I hate dealing with goblins,” Harry moaned as he sat at the far side of the table. Everyone sat with him, except Agent Mumford who leaned against the wall. He didn’t have to go to Gringotts very often so his dealings with the goblins were limited to the beginning of the school year.

“They’re not so bad,” Neville said. He never had a problem with the grouchy beings. He just did his business and left. Harry on the other hand always had to do something with his account. Plus, the goblins had to keep reminding him of his heritage.

A goblin, they assumed was Spearhead, entered the room. “I am Head Accountant Spearhead. Mr. Roberts will be joining us shortly,” he said as he sat across from the group. “What can Gringotts do for you today?” he repeated the standard question, placing his briefcase on the floor next to his chair.

Harry introduced his party and then stated, “I need to go over the Peverell and the Gryffindor accounts. From what I understand, because I am in this tournament then Britain has declared me an adult, but because of the curse we need to go over the accounts before I claim emancipation.” Harry waved his hands like it was a minor annoyance.

“We will have to wait for Mr. Roberts to arrive. He is the one with the paperwork,” the goblin practically growled, upset that this boy was disregarding such major accounts as if they were nothing. The goblins had been trying for decades to get the Potters to claim them.

Gilly was at Harry’s right and she put a hand on his arm to prevent him from snapping at the accountant. She looked at the goblin and said, “Look, I know you guys are frustrated, Goldworthy is just as bad. But, you can’t blame Harry for the curse.” She glared at the disrespectful way he spoke to Harry.

“I apologize, I was hoping it would be easier since he is still young,” Spearhead nodded at her and folded his hands in front of him. “Mr. Potter, these are not trivial accounts. The gold alone will make you wealthy beyond your dreams. The books and artifacts are plentiful. The history alone makes them worthwhile.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” the young man said removing his hat and rubbing the back of his neck. “Every time I think about them, they just kinda slide through my mind and I disregard them as unimportant,” Harry explained with a shrug of his shoulder.

The goblin waved his apology away, pulled up his briefcase and removed some paperwork. “Here are the summaries of all three of your accounts. Thanks to the thoughtfulness of your aunts your trust account has grown,” he said putting the parchments in front of Harry.

“Wow, you guys still use parchment. Isn’t that expensive?” Neville asked, picking up one of the papers and looking at the sum. His eyes got wide and he stated, “Whoa, he wasn’t kidding. That is some balance you got there, Harry.”

“The account you are looking at is merely his trust fund. The main vault was frozen when his parents passed away,” Spearhead said then pointed to another parchment. “That is the sum of the main Potter account. As to your question, the British Ministry of Magic will not _allow_ us to use paper for our clients. They feel it is beneath them.” His face took on a grimace.

“I thought goblins were a separate nation,” Neville stated with a tilt of his head.

“We are, but if we want to keep the peace, we… adapt,” the goblin said.

“Another plus for the good ole US of A,” Harry added still looking at the summaries. He knew he was rich, but not this rich and this was just the Potter accounts. He took up the other pieces of parchment, glanced at them and his eyes widened.

A knock was heard on the door and an older man entered the room. He was a balding man, dressed in a grey business suit with an open black robe. He took a seat next to Spearhead and pulled out some paperwork. “Hello, everyone,” he greeted. “I am Mr. Roberts. I have been the Potter family solicitor for many years.”

Harry, remembering his manners, introduced the people on his side of the table.

The solicitor nodded his head to each individual and then looked at Harry. “Let’s see about breaking this curse.”


	32. The Vaults

**AN: I would like to thank my betas for looking over this fic, alix33 and darrelldeam. All mistakes are my own. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

At the mention of the curse Harry got dismissive again. He waved his hand and said, “I’d like to claim the Potter accounts.”

“Harry,” Gilly said gaining the young man’s attention, “do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you, why would you even ask that?” Harry answered bewildered.

“Then I need for you to do what Mr. Roberts tells you to do,” she said firmly, laying a hand on his arm.

“Okay, Aunt Gilly,” he conceded then turned his attention to the lawyer. “What do you need me to do?”

The solicitor took out a sheet of parchment and covered it up with a blank sheet. “I need you to sign on the line at the bottom. Don’t read it, just sign,” he said when Harry went to remove the blank parchment.

“But, Goldworthy said never sign anything without reading it,” the teen said, still trying to read the paper.

“Yes, and normally that would be true, however, you are going to have to trust us that this is in your best interest,” Mr. Roberts said still covering up the contract.

“Hey, Harry, how about I read it and let you know if it is okay to sign?” Neville asked, putting his hands on the paperwork. Gilly and Sirius smiled and nodded their agreement.

“Okay,” Harry said in complete confidence of his cousin.

Neville snatched up the papers and went to the other side of the table so Harry couldn’t read over his shoulder. He quickly read the contract and noted it was for the Gryffindor account. By signing this paperwork Harry would be agreeing that he was an adult and that he would be taking full control over the accounts. Had it not been for the tournament Harry would have had to wait until he was seventeen. When he was done he covered it back up and slid it to his cousin. “There’s nothing in this that will hurt you or your accounts. Just sign on the line and you will be able to get to your Potter account,” he said slyly keeping his hand on the blank paper.

Harry raised his eyebrows and nodded. He signed on the line at the bottom of the page. The parchment glowed red for a moment and then flashed white. Everyone sighed in relief. Spearhead took the papers and made copies for Harry, Gringotts, Mr. Roberts and the Ministry.

Harry shook his head as the family curse was broken. He was glad he had his other family to help him. Had they been Potters this would have never worked. Not that he wouldn’t trust his birth family it was only they would have not budged on claiming the Potter account first.

“Do you even know who cursed the family?” the teen, now adult, asked Spearhead.

“No, we only know it happened around the same time the Statute of Secrecy went into effect.” The goblin shook his head. “The Potters were well known for chasing down Dark Wizards, so it could have been a number of families. Now that that is over, let’s claim your other accounts,” Spearhead said as he and Mr. Roberts pulled out a lot more parchment. Everyone groaned and got to work on what looked to be a lot of signing.

They were correct it took an hour to get every i dotted and every t crossed. Then they took the carts to the oldest vault. Harry and his family were shocked about how they had to go into the bowels of the bank. The Gringotts in America was above ground and the vaults in magically expanded parts of the building. They didn’t have to visit the vaults often, since they had direct deposit. So this cart ride was new to them.

“This vault is guarded by a dragon,” the cart goblin explained as he went to a box off to the side. Inside the wooden box was what appeared to be clappers. “The dragon is trained to fear this noise, so each of you grab on and start twisting it.”

Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust, to make a dragon fear a noise took a lot of pain and he and his family were against causing animals to suffer. It was also stupid to keep the devices right where anyone could grab them.

He heard a hissing noise as the dragon backing away in fear. She was hissing for them not to hurt her, while roaring her defiance. Harry stopped in shock, he had never been around a dragon before and had no idea they could speak.

He spoke back, _“I am so sorry that you are being treated so poorly. If I could I would set you free. Alas, it is not in my power to do so. I won’t hurt you, please, let me show you.”_ He shocked their guide by going up to the beast and rubbing the nearest leg in sympathy. He ignored his families calls to come back, he sent them a reassuring grin and continued to pet the dragon.

 _“You speak,”_ the dragon said, _“I accept your apology, for you are not of the cruel people that cause my plight.”_

 _“I will do all I can to see that every dragon in Gringotts is freed,”_ Harry promised furiously, spearing a look at the cart goblin, who name he didn’t even bother to ask. _“I don’t know when or even if it would be in your lifetime, but I promise to do all I can.”_ He petted her leg once more and made his way back to his aunt.

 _“For that I will let your party pass unmolested.”_ The dragon bowed and scooted back as far from the group as she could in the small cavern she was trapped in.

“You’re just full of surprises, kiddo,” Gilly said as she grabbed his hand. She had been worried when he went to the dragon and was majorly relieved when her nephew didn’t die.

“She said she’s not going to hurt us,” Harry said his glare not lessening one bit. He squeezed his aunt’s hand and then let it drop. He turned and walked to the massive doors and placed his hand on the right side were an indent was seen. One half of the double doors opened and a gust of brown dust billowed out of the vault. “You will stay here,” he spat at the goblin, not caring if he was rude or not.

The goblin looked affronted and was about to protest when a chill ran up his spine. The temperature in the cave dropped and everyone looked around to see what was causing it. Harry’s hair was billowing around his hat, in a non-existent wind. Gilly quickly took her nephew in a hug to calm him down.

As the wind died, the goblin clung to his clapper like it was a weapon and nodded his head. He scurried to a place out of reach of the dragon and slouched down the wall to wait.

The inside of the vault was old smelling and dust covered everything in inches. Everyone waved their hands around to wandlessly clean the area around them. It took several minutes to get the place clean enough to walk without kicking up clouds of grime. After much coughing and sneezing the group looked around. There were books aplenty and mounds of gold, silver and copper coins. There were a few trunks filled with jewels, some armor and weapons off to the side and a pedestal in the middle. On the pedestal was a very old looking book. Harry went to it and read the title; **Godric Gryffindor** was written in pealing gold leaf.

“Looks like ole Godric kept a journal. Do you think I should take it?” Harry asked leafing through the first few pages.

“Maybe you should hold off on that until we know what kind of preservation charms are on it,” Sirius suggested, looking at the book in awe.

Harry nodded, “You’re probably right.” He stopped reading and looked around for anything he could take with him.

“As great as the history is for this vault, I’m not seeing anything that will help you right now,” Gilly said from her place at the rusting armor, the weapons weren’t in much better condition. She turned away from the displays and went to the boy’s side.

“Yeah, you’re right, I guess we should see if the Peverell vault has anything,” Harry shrugged and looked around once more and then led his group out the door. He placed his hand on the open door and it swung shut to his touch.

The goblin quickly returned to their side and once again started to twist his clapper. “Stop that, you fool, she’s not going to hurt us,” Harry snapped and grabbed the clapper from the goblins startled hands.

The goblin cowered as the temperature dropped again and started hesitantly towards the cart. The rest followed with sad looks at the dragon.

Once again Harry had to reassure the dragon guarding the next vault. This one took longer to calm down, but Harry persevered and soon enough they made their way to the vault.

The Peverell vault opened the same way as the Gryffindor vault did; there was another cloud of dust but not quite as bad. There were less books in this vault, the coins weren’t piled quite a high, though they were still plenty. Another pedestal was in the middle and Harry went to check out the book on it. This time it was kids’ book, the title read; **The Tales of Beedle the Bard.**

“Huh, that’s a weird book to be placed on a pedestal,” Harry mused. Sirius joined him and shrugged.

“Maybe there’s a secret in the stories,” he suggested, “We can get the book at Flourish and Blott’s.”

Harry nodded his head and looked around for anything that would help him in the tournament. There were weapons and some wands along the backside of the vault. They looked to be in better condition than the ones in the older vault. He took up a few of the wands to test them and found two that worked for him. Not that he needed a wand for most things, but wizard curses worked better with a focus. So he put the two that worked in his robes and indicated for everyone, except Gilly to do the same. Gilly and the aunts never used a wand, so she just wandered around the vault looking at the titles to the books.

“I think we’re done here, Aunt Gilly, let’s go to the Potter vault and get out of this place,” Harry said as he came to her side. London Gringotts had not impressed him at all.

“You might like some of the things in there,” Sirius said as they exited. “I know your dad put some really neat stuff in there before he went into hiding.” An excited look came across his face as he remembered coming here with his best friend.

“Yeah, having stuff from my dad will be cool,” Harry said getting just as excited. He all but ran to the cart and waited impatiently for everyone else to hurry along.

They arrived at the vault; this one only had a single door that was made to be opened with a key as well as a magical signature. When the goblin tried to take Harry’s key the young man growled at him, until he asked politely. After the goblin opened the door and stepped aside, the family entered the newer vault.

This vault was much cleaner than the others, the books were newer and the coins were higher. There was no pedestal. There were far more trunks in here than there had been in the others. Most looked to be filled with jewels and gems. Harry went to the least battered trunk and looked inside. There was an assortment of clothes and books, like a school trunk. On the top was a letter addressed to him. He picked it up and motioned for everyone to join him in reading it.

**_Harry_ **

**_If you are reading this then the Longbottoms or Sirius has brought you here to get ready for Hogwarts. Inside this trunk are all my books and supplies, as well as a few hidden surprises. It also means that your mum and I didn’t make it. I won’t go into how sorry we are that we didn't raise you. I will just express that I hope we died well and that you had a good childhood with the Longbottoms._ **

**_I want you to show this letter to whoever is raising you so that they know there is a curse on the family. I can only write about it because our Account Manager is dictating this paragraph to me as I write. According to him I will forget it as soon as what the curse pertains is mentioned. So I can’t tell you what to look out for. Get your guardian to speak to the current goblin in charge of the account and hopefully you can break the curse._ **

**_Inside the trunk are diaries me and you mum kept so that you will know how happy we were for whatever time we had to together. These are not the hidden surprises I mentioned earlier. I had a house elf collect them once a week, we would write your progress and then have her pop them back to the vault._ **

**_Remember we will always be watching and that we will be proud of you no matter what House you are sorted in. Lily says to tell you that she was almost sorted into Ravenclaw and that she hopes you gain her smarts and not my sense of humor. I hope you get both. Give your Uncle Sirius and Remus our good-byes and be glad they are in your life._ **

**_Good-bye for now son,_ **

**_Do us proud,_ **

**_Love Mum and Dad_ **

Sirius sniffled a bit after reading the letter. “I think he was hoping to write a longer one, this was written before they went in to hiding.”

“Maybe that’s what the diaries are for,” Neville suggested putting a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder. He already had his parents’ journals. Gran had had them placed in his trust vault when he was eleven.

“Maybe,” Harry said then cleared his throat. He waved his hand, shrunk the trunk and placed it in his pocket. “Let’s get out of here,” he said making his way to the entrance, after grabbing up some coins for a bit of shopping. They couldn’t do much he was still grounded, but he wanted to see if the brooms were any better than the ones in the USA. The principal said since they might help him in the tasks he could look.

The rest followed a little concerned that he was taking it so well. Harry was thinking about how his life would have turned out had he not had the Owens women in it. While he was sad that his parents had died he couldn’t help but think his aunts had raised him well. These contradictory emotions kept him preoccupied until they reached the lobby of the bank.

“I think I want that ice cream now,” Harry said his conflicted eyes now focusing on what he was doing.


	33. Different Encounters

**AN: I would like to thank my betas for looking over this fic, alix33 and darrelldeam. All mistakes are my own. It is a very bad habit of mine, to re-read and re-adjust previous chapters, then re-post them. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_The same afternoon_ **

Harry and his group went down Diagon Alley to the ice cream parlor. He had a triple chocolate sundae, with whipped cream and sprinkles. Neville decided to be daring and got a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans’ cup. Sirius and Gilly played it safe and had vanilla cones with chocolate sauce. Agent Mumford declined any treats and stationed herself by the door. The quartet took a table near the doors, so they could escape if Harry was discovered.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” Gilly asked concerned, she saw her nephew was deep in thought and his mind was troubled.

“Yeah, it was kinda intense. I mean, I love you guys, but I can’t help thinking what my life would have been like if I was raised by my parents,” Harry confessed shyly. He took off his hat and rubbed his hand through his streaked hair.

“Oh, sweetie,” Gilly said as she scooted her chair closer to the distraught boy and gave him a huge hug. “That is completely understandable; I know sometimes I wondered the same thing. You have to remember we lost our parents when I was young, and, like you, Sally and I were raised by the Aunts. When I got older” she ran a comforting hand through his hair, “I decided I wouldn’t change it for the world. Some things are just meant to be.” She laid her cheek on his mussed up head.

Harry heaved a great sigh, tilted his head and smiled at his loving aunt. “I feel the same way, I just feel guilty about it at the same time,” he said softly. He hugged the woman who raised him to be the best he could be.

Neville, who was sitting on Harry’s right, patted his cousin on the back and confessed, “I remember thinking the same after I read my mom’s diary.”

“Well, I for one, hated my parents and I’m proud of the Potters for taking me in,” Sirius said with a grin, trying to break the melancholy that was filtering around the group.

Everyone gave him a wan smile for his efforts. Harry shook his head to get out of the morose thoughts and nudged everyone off of him and turned back to his wonderful sundae. “Too bad Jordan had to stay on the boat. I have to admit, this is the best ice cream I’ve ever had.” Taking a large bite of the delicious chocolate.

“I’m not so sure,” said Neville after he bit into one of the beans in his cup. “I think I just swallowed dirt.” He made a gagging face and then smiled to show he was kidding.

Sirius barked with laughter and stole a spoonful of Neville’s treat. “Hmmm, I think that was broccoli,” he said, wrinkling his nose.

They sat and enjoyed the rest of their confections and soon left the parlor. Harry made sure to don his hat as they stepped out of the building. They were still garnering looks for their Muggle clothes, but they didn’t care what these people thought of them.

“Well, we only have about an hour, so you have to decide which stores you’re going to visit. I would say you can pick two,” Gilly said, after glancing at her watch.

“Why don’t we split up? Me, Sirius and Agent Mumford can go to the book store and get that fairytale book. Neville can see if there are any brooms here that are better than the ones back home,” Harry suggested, looking around the cluttered Alley.

“Good idea, we don’t want Mr. Scott mad at you for dallying,” Sirius said as he gave Harry a pat on the top of his hat. He gave Gilly a kiss on the cheek and they went their separate ways.

Flourish and Blott’s was a large books store, it had two stories of bookshelves that lined the walls and were in rows in the middle. It was dark and crowded, there seemed to be little organization. There were no markers indicating what books were in what rows. Sirius, however, knew the layout so they went to a section that seemed mostly children’s books. Harry glared at the shelf that was covered in the fictional stories about his life.

“I thought we stopped those books?” he bit out, picking one of the books up and thumbing through it. His growl chased a few children to their mothers. The wind started to pick up, causing the books to tremble.

“We did— in America. Here, they can sell them if they’re put in the fictional section,” Sirius said, rubbing the boys back trying to keep him calm. It was the best they could get from their suit, as there were no laws against it here in Britain. There were a few other countries that continued to sell the books, but for the most part they were pulled.

“Do we at least get royalties?” Harry asked, taking deep breathes to try and keep his cool.

“Yup, that’s one of the reasons your trust account is so big,” the dark-haired man said calmly. Thankfully the wind died down and the books stopped shaking.

“Whatever, I hate this country,” Harry said, adjusting his hat to make sure he wasn’t recognized. He put the book back and looked for The Tales of Beedle the Bard. He wanted to figure out why the book was so important to the Peverells. They found a copy and gathered a few more books on British Magical Law and took them to the front to pay. Just as they were leaving they were accosted by a man, with long white hair, dressed in expensive wizarding robes and carrying a cane, with a serpent’s head.

“Sirius Black,” the man sneered, wrinkling his nose like he smelled something foul, “Pity I ran into you today, I was having such a wonderful time in the Alley, now here you are.”

“Lucius,” Sirius flashed a beaming smile, as if he was greeting an old family member. “How are you, dear cousin? Missing all the gold from the Black accounts, are you?” he inquired politely.

“Like your pitiful accounts could compare to my fortune,” the now named Lucius sniffed, turning up his nose.

“Come now, Lucius, don’t be modest, you know as well as I that those accounts are larger than yours. I would think after all the… donations, you’ve been handing out, that they are much more prevalent now,” Sirius laughed at the uppity man, knowing well and good that the Blacks far outweighed the Malfoys in wealth. He also knew the jaded history of the Malfoy family and knew they weren’t as _pure_ as they claimed.

“I will have you know, my wife and I donate to good causes,” Lucius snarled back. He then turned his gaze to Harry and the female beside him, and his face grimaced. “I always knew you were pitiful, Black, but now you have taken to hanging out with Muggles.”

This time Sirius’ laughter filled the store, causing people to turn and see what was going on. A crowd started gathering around the four facing off. Harry tugged his hat down more to make sure his scar was covered and then hit his godfather upside the head, nodding to the people around them. Agent Mumford scooted closer and put her hand in her jacket to grip her gun.

“You just keep on thinking that, dear cousin. We’ll just be going now, more important things to be doing, you know,” Sirius said, the smile never leaving his face.

“Come now, Black, introduce your… friends,” the white-haired man said as he placed himself in front of the three trying to leave.

“His friend doesn’t want to lower himself to be introduced to one such as you,” the streak-haired teen said with a bright smile. He knew he was being rude, but this man rubbed him the wrong way.

“Watch yourself, boy. You would do well to know who your betters are,” Lucius snarled. The crowd gathered closer now that it looked like there might be a fight. Their female escort stayed close to Harry’s side.

“My betters?” Harry asked incredulously, gawking at the man. “You don’t even know who I am, yet you claim to be my superior. Well, that’s quite an opinion you have of yourself. Do you feel you are better than everyone you meet, or are we just an exception?” he inquired with an innocent tilt of his head, hoping the man answered in the positive. Agent Mumford didn’t once let go of her gun, still hidden in the folds of her jacket.

“I can tell by your accent that you are an American, therefore beneath me. Besides, the Malfoy family is above everyone in Britain, and parts of France,” Lucius sniffed. The crowd seemed to make an exception to this and started to yell at the pure-blood, jostling and pushing the man outside the store. Harry and his companions escaped in the commotion, laughing the entire time.

They met up with Gilly and Neville and made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. As they walked, they told the two what happened and they all shared a good laugh.

“So, that’s a pure-blood? Now I know what to expect,” Harry said with a shake of his head.

“Well, to tell the truth, Lucius is a little full of himself, so he’s not really a good comparison. However, that’s what you can expect from Death Eaters, more or less,” Sirius said in all seriousness. He chuckled a little about the whole situation. He always loved putting Lucius in his place.

“Okay,” Harry said with a shrug. He wasn’t impressed.

“Don’t underestimate them, kiddo,” Gilly said, not wanting him to be caught off guard.

“I’ll try not to, but it’s kinda hard. I mean, they really are arrogant,” the green-eyed boy said as they walked into the Cauldron.

“Yeah, but they also have a large kill count. Remember that,” Agent Mumford warned. She wasn’t fooled into thinking they were not a threat. She had read the reports on all the Death Eaters and was on guard around them, the only comfort she had was they didn’t know what a gun was, so they had no shield against one.

“Alright,” Harry conceded. It was rare that Claire gave out advice, so he would heed it.

“Come on, let’s go to the boat. I, for one, want to talk to Mr. Scott to see how much longer you’re going to be grounded,” Gilly said, hoping to get Harry off restriction sooner.

Everyone nodded and headed towards London, now that they knew where they were they could Jump back to Hogwarts, much to Harry’s relief. They ducked in a nearby alley and disappeared, reappearing on the shores of Black Lake. They took another Jump to the boat, the only reason they didn’t Jump straight to the boat is that it could have drifted from where they last saw it.

The group then went to Mr. Scott’s office and gave a report on their day. Neville said there weren’t any brooms that were better than the ones they brought. Agent Mumford excused herself to call her department. Harry and Neville went to the dorm. Harry sat on his bed and removed the shrunken trunk. He looked at it fondly, here was something from his dad and he wanted to treasure the moment.

The green-eyed teen then placed the trunk on the floor, waved his hand and resized it. He opened the top and gazed at the clutter within, it seemed his father wasn’t one to organize. He took the books out and placed them on the bed, after reading each title. The diaries went on top of the pile, he would read his mom’s tonight. The teen then took out the robes and scrunched up his nose at them. He really hated robes, they were so cumbersome.

After Harry folded the clothes and put them to the side, he looked through the trinkets that were left. Some things were joke items that Sirius had told them about when he was younger. There was a package on the bottom of the trunk. It was wrapped in plain brown paper and had a note on the top. He picked up the piece of parchment and read:

**_Harry,_ **

**_Glad you found this, keep it hidden from the Professors. One of the items in this package is a family heirloom. The other item is from the Marauders’ time in Hogwarts. Had it not been for these two things, we would never have been as successful as we were in our pranks._ **

**_I was going to lend them to Professor Dumbledore, but your mum talked me out of it. She said you might need them in the future._ **

**_Use them well._ **

**_Your dad_ **

**_James Potter_ **

“Hey, Neville, come here and check this out,” Harry called to his cousin.

Neville got up from his bed, put the book he had been reading down and joined Harry. “What is it?” he asked, looking at the plain package.

“Don’t know,” Harry confessed. “Let’s open it and find out.” Slowly they opened the wrapping and a silvery piece of cloth fell over Harry’s arm, making that arm disappear. “Oh, this is Dad’s Invisibility Cloak! Sirius and Remus told me about it.” He was excited. He had wondered where it went.

“Wow, that’s neat,” Neville exclaimed. He touched the smooth cloak and said, “Try it on.”

The streaked-haired boy got up and donned the cloak, making his body vanish with only his head showing. “Do you know what we can do with this?” Harry all but shouted. “This will make a lot of the tasks easier, well the last one anyway. I’ll have to change some plans, but this will be so much better. Now that I know I can talk to dragons the first task will be a breeze.”

Neville just nodded his head and then looked down and saw a folded piece of parchment. “Hey, Harry, there’s something else,” he said picking it up. He unfolded it and saw that it was blank. “That’s weird, I wonder what this is. I can feel magic coming off it.”

“I think that’s the map Sirius told us about. Huh, I thought it was lost at Hogwarts, maybe he made another one. I mean, if they can make one it makes sense they can make more,” Harry said as he removed the cloak and took the parchment. “I solemnly swear I’m up to no good,” he intoned, pointing his finger at the parchment.

Lines started to form and little footprints were moving about, with names above them. The whole map filled out and Harry could see where everyone on Hogwarts’ grounds was. He saw the Headmaster and that greasy man, Snape, in the Headmaster’s office. He noted where Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were and their names also appeared. The SMI boat wasn’t on the map, but he could see the students in the Quidditch pitch, probably doing PE. There was a crowd of Hogwarts students in the stands. He shook his head and wondered what they found so fascinating about exercise.

“This might also be useful in the third task, if the maze shows up on it. You can use it to guide you to the middle,” Neville suggested.

“That is a great idea, cousin,” Harry said, beaming to his longtime companion.

Neville just nodded his head and went back to studying the map. The two talked about these great tools and made plans. Soon enough it was time for the last class of the day and they decided to join, they had already missed most of the lessons and needed to get their homework.

That night Harry rested on his bed and read his mom’s diary. It was about her school years from fifth year up. It told about how she and Snape were friends until that year when the boy called her a foul name. It went on to how his dad was a bully and constantly picked on the Slytherin House. It was in her final year— when she was made Head Girl— that she and James— who was Head Boy— got together.

The rest of the diary went on about their romance until the last entries which held information about Harry’s first year and a half of life. He learned when he took his first step and said his first word, which was ‘Mum’ and the diary stopped when he was fifteen months old, the week before Voldemort tore his family apart.

It took the whole night to read, but Harry was thankful he took the time. He wasn’t as thankful for the tears that fell, but it couldn’t be helped. It was with a heavy heart that he got up the next morning to start his day. Neville and his fellow students gave him space, he had told them what he would be doing and they only offered their support, but otherwise let him be. Neville understood what his cousin was going through, having done the same when he was eleven.

Harry went to the Infirmary and asked the nurse for a Pepper-up potion so he could make it through the lessons. He was still grounded and had to spend his free time either in the living area or his dorm. At the end of the long day he went to his bed and got out his father’s diary and started reading.

In great contrast to his mother’s hormonal writing, his dad expounded on the pranks he and his friends pulled, though there was a little angst about how his mom kept turning him down. Upon reading the torment James pulled on Snape, Harry didn’t know what to feel. On one hand, the man was a Dark wizard, but he knew from his classes that didn’t mean evil, though his dad seemed to think so. On the other hand, from what he read in his mother’s diary, Snape had a hard life at home, his dad was abusive and his mother was useless against it. Finally he just shrugged it off and decided he would just judge the Potions Master by his behavior now, which so far was unimpressive.

The rest of the week was uneventful; they went to classes and did their homework. The students spent time having movie nights so that Harry wasn’t left alone on the boat. Gilly and Sirius came over every other day and told them about the gossip from Hogsmeade. Gilly’s little table was in constant use, as everyone wanted to meet the American that raised Harry Potter. She played his life down to them and hoped to give the impression that he was just an ordinary teenage boy. So far it was working.

Sirius reformed his connections to the people he knew before leaving Britain. The boys would need those in the times to come when they took their seats on the Wizengamot, if they took them. It all depended on how they were treated here. If they were treated poorly they would have proxies appointed and England could do without them. Oh, they knew they had to stay and take care of the Dark Lord problem, but that didn’t mean they had to put up with what Harry called bullshit.

The SMI contingent kept the two Owens boys up to date on what was happening in Hogwarts. They made sure to talk to all the students they met to get a general idea on who thought what. It seemed that after the fiasco on the first day the Headmaster chastised the students and talked Mr. Scott into giving breakfast in the Great Hall another try, after Harry was taken off restriction. Mr. Scott made sure to lecture Harry on keeping his temper, if they did go.

It seemed the Hogwarts students were still divided on how to treat the Boy Who Lived, whereas the foreigners were mostly of the opinion that he was a victim who should be pitied.

Then came the day Harry was finally free. The SMI group dressed in their casual uniform of t-shirts, with the school logo, and blue jeans. Harry went without a hat since everyone knew what he looked like now. They all Jumped to the shore and made their way up the stairs to the doors. Taking a deep breath Harry opened the doors and led the way to the Great Hall. Once again when they stepped through, the Hall went silent. Harry just shook his head and started towards the Hufflepuff table to where the Hogwarts champion sat.

“Ah, I see our Salem visitors have decided to join us once again,” Dumbledore said as he stood from his throne like chair. “I will once again impress on you to treat them as you would any of our other guests,” he said firmly, looking over his spectacles to the students. Some of them bowed their heads at the disapproval; others firmed their faces in protest.

Harry just shrugged and continued his way to the Hufflepuff table. “Mind if I join you guys?” he asked Cedric.

“Go ahead,” the seventh year replied, waving his hand to the emptying bench, as the other students scooted to make room.

“Thanks,” Neville said as he, Harry and Jordan sat. They gathered some of the less fatty foods onto their plates and were thankful that these students didn’t start bombarding them with questions.

As they ate, they talked about the different sports the two countries had. Cedric was upset that Quidditch was cancelled this year, but was ecstatic that he was chosen for the Tournament.

The meal went smoothly, no one bothered them with personal inquiries and they compared lessons between the schools, the Hogwarts students were very impressed with SMI curriculum. The Muggle-born were especially enthralled that they continued non-magical studies. Some of them got wistful looks, thinking it might be a good idea to do self-study on those subjects.

The SMI trio didn’t let them know about the new way of doing magic; they wanted the first task to be spectacular. Harry did glance at Cedric and came to a decision. “Hey, Cedric, can we talk after breakfast? I promise it won’t take but a minute,” the tri-color haired boy asked.

The confused teen just nodded and they finished off breakfast. The two ducked into an alcove off the Entrance Hall. “I wanted to let you know what the first task is. It’s not fair to you, or the others, that I know, but you don’t. So if I tell you, you have to promise to let the other guys know as well,” Harry whispered.

“How did you find out?” Cedric glared, thinking Mr. Scott told him.

“Oh, I can’t tell you that, let’s just say it wasn’t any official. It was an old family friend who happens to have inside sources.” Harry answered vaguely, waving it off as unimportant. “So do you promise?”

The tall blonde thought about it for a few minutes. It would be helpful to know, and since it wasn’t a professor or other official telling him, it wasn’t cheating. And he would be letting the other two in on the information, so they would all be on an even footing. He finally nodded and swore to let the foreigners know as soon as he could.

“Okay, well, it’s dragons. We have to get something from nesting mothers,” Harry told him in hushed tones. He already had a plan to make sure no one was hurt in the task. All he had to do was find out where the creatures were going to be hidden. Maybe the map would help.

Cedric’s jaw fell, he knew the tasks would be dangerous, but this was outrageous. After three or so minutes he finally pulled himself together, nodded his thanks and left the alcove.

Harry, figuring the poor boy was in shock, just shrugged off the rudeness and went on his way. Hufflepuffs were known to be loyal, so he trusted the guy to keep his word. He made his way back to the boat, humming a tune as he went. He ignored all the stares and just bounced along to the music in his head.

All in all, it was a good morning.


	34. Ceremonies and Midnight Strolls

**AN: I would like to thank my beta for looking over this fic, darrelldeam. All mistakes are my own. It is a very bad habit of mine, to re-read and re-adjust previous chapters, then re-post them. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy.**

_AN: Anything you recognize is adapted from the book._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_November 14, 1994_ **

It was Monday and Harry, Neville and Jordan were with their mind magic tutor, Matthew Sarris, brushing up on their Occlumency, when Mr. Scott came in to the room. “Harry,” he called, “we have to go to the Wand Weighing ceremony.”

“How does one weigh a wand?” Jordan asked, “I mean, aren’t they all about the same weight, besides does it make a difference how much your wand weighs?” he mused as he rubbed his forehead in a confused manner.

“Well, from what I understand, they don’t so much weigh the wand, they just make sure it is in good working condition,” Mr. Scott explained. Then he made a come-on motion for Harry to hurry up.

“I have to go to the dorm to get my wand. Do you think I should bring all three?” Harry asked as he put his book in his bag. Getting up he made towards the door.

“No, just your primary wand. It is against the law to own more than one here in Britain,” the Vice Principal said as they walked down the hall.

Harry just shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly and went to his bed and gathered his wand. They then went to the deck and Jumped to the front door of the castle, making the Hogwarts’ students jerk in surprise.

When Headmaster Dumbledore found out the SMI group could move about the grounds in such a manner he was not pleased. He asked that they teach him and his staff to do the same. Mr. Scott tried, but only Snape, Flitwick and Dumbledore were able to pull it off. It was the only new magic they would teach. And in what he considered to be fair play, Mr. Scott taught the Heads and teachers to the other two school, making Dumbledore upset once more. Only of few of them were able as well. The SMI Vice Principal said he would continue to try and teach the rest to Jump until his school left.

The SMI Head tried to get Gilly to teach them, but she flat out refused. She stated that she didn’t trust any of them and didn’t want them to try and convince her to teach them other magic.

Harry and Mr. Scott made their way to the room where the weighing was to be held. They were the last ones there. Inside the stone room, on a raised dais, were the other three champions. Cedric looked excited; he was polishing his wand, which was already shiny, and trying to chat with the Beauxbatons’ champion. Fleur was simply sitting there, ignoring the Hufflepuff, with an air of superiority. Krum was leaning against the wall, his arms folded and a neutral look on his face.

Harry went up the platform and sat next to Cedric. He liked the seventh year Hogwarts’ student. Unlike some others, this young man didn’t bug him about his past. They struck up a conversation and waited for the ceremony to begin.

After they talked for a minute, a gaudily dressed lady, with hideous glasses and wild hair, came and grabbed Harry by the arm. “Mr. Potter,” she purred, “how about you and I have a little talk. All my readers are just dying to know where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to.” She made to pull him from his chair, but Harry wasn’t budging.

“Get your hands off me, you old crow. I don’t give a good god damn what your readers want,” he said as he pulled his arm from her grip.

“Come now, Harry, my boy,” said the Hogwarts Headmaster in his grandfather tone, “you should not treat the press so. I, too, would like to know where you have been all these years.”

“I told you once already it’s none of your concern. I have people I answer to, and you and her public are not them. I am not your boy, and don’t call me by my given name,” Harry all but snarled. “I will tell you this, you old bat,” he said turning his ire to the reporter, whose name he didn’t ask, “I have a lawyer, and a damn good one, don’t fuck with me.” He then pointedly ignored the people around him.

Mr. Scott came up behind his student and placed a hand on his shoulder. “My student does not answer to the press. If you report anything that doesn’t have to do with this tournament, then we will sue you to the full extent of the law. You would do well to remember Harry is a dual citizen and is protected by the United States government.”

The still unnamed reporter backed off, but with a look in her eye saying it wasn’t over. She sat in the chairs in front of the platform, an acid green quill floating above a piece of parchment, which was situated on her lap.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Cedric whispered tentatively. “That is Rita Skeeter, see that green quill? It’ll misquote you and make it seem like you are some type of… well you get the idea,” he finished with a wary look at the reporter.

“I don’t care if she is the President of the United States, or the Queen of England, nobody grabs me like that,” Harry snarled, and then his face softened a bit. “Sorry, those people piss me off,” he apologized; it wasn’t Cedric’s fault that adults rubbed him the wrong way.

Cedric shrugged and nodded, he did his best to warn the young man. They turned to the door when it opened and saw a tall, older man come through. “That’s Ollivander, he is going to be checking our wands,” the Hufflepuff said.

“He looks creepy,” Harry offered, looking at the man’s seemingly all seeing eyes. The tall man looked at him and Harry threw up his Occlumency shields and glared at the disturbing man. Ollivander flinched back and made his way to the stage.

“Yeah, I think he gets a kick out of scaring first years,” Diggory agreed, remembering the first time he met the wand-maker.

Harry looked around and saw that all the Heads and the judge, bar Dumbledore, were sitting at a table behind the champions. Mr. Scott was taking the place of Ludo Bagman, to make sure his school was represented. Mr. Bagman had protested, until the rules were brought out that there could only be five judges and all students had to have an evaluator on their side. So Madame Maxime, Headmaster Karkaroff, Mr. Crouch and Mr. Scott lined the table.

“May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?” said Dumbledore, taking his place at the judges’ table and talking to the champions. “He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament.”

“Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?” said Mr. Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room.

Fleur Delacour swept over to Mr. Ollivander and handed him her wand.

“Hmmm …” he said. He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it close to his eyes and examined it carefully. “Yes,” he said quietly, “nine and a half inches … inflexible … rosewood … and containing … dear me …”

“An ’air from ze ’ead of a Veela,” said Fleur. “One of my grandmuzzer’s.”

‘So Fleur was part Veela,’ thought Harry. He had wondered after first meeting her.

“Yes,” said Mr. Ollivander, “yes, I’ve never used Veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands … however, to each his own, and if this suits you …”

Mr. Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps; then he muttered, “Orchideous!” and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip. “Very well, very well, it’s in fine working order,” said Mr. Ollivander, scooping up the flowers and handing them to Fleur with her wand. “Mr. Diggory, you next.”

Fleur glided back to her seat, smirking at Cedric as he passed her.

“Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn’t it?” said Mr. Ollivander, with much more enthusiasm, as Cedric handed over his wand. “Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn … must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches … ash … pleasantly springy. It’s in fine condition. … You treat it regularly?”

“Polished it last night,” said Cedric, grinning.

Mr. Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room from the tip of Cedric’s wand, pronounced himself satisfied, and then said, “Mr. Krum, if you please.”

Viktor Krum got up and slouched, round-shouldered and duck-footed, toward Mr. Ollivander. He thrust out his wand and stood scowling, with his hands in the pockets of his robes.

“Hmm,” said Mr. Ollivander, “this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I’m much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I … however …” He lifted the wand and examined it minutely, turning it over and over before his eyes. “Yes … hornbeam and dragon heartstring?” he shot at Krum, who nodded. “Rather thicker than one usually sees … quite rigid … ten and a quarter inches … Avis!”

The hornbeam wand let off a blast like a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight. “Good,” said Mr. Ollivander, handing Krum back his wand. “Which leaves … Mr. Potter.”

Harry rose and handed his wand to the strange man.

“Now, this is not one of mine,” Ollivander said, taking the wand. “Holly… very subtle… a bit wishy… and griffin feather… oh my, that is quite a surprise. I don’t use them myself… very dangerous to obtain… however it is a strong core…” he gave the wand a swish and a light filled the room, blinding everyone, causing them to blink rapidly to get their eyesight back. “Oh my, a strong core indeed… I must say Mr. Potter, this wand as seen very little use.”

Harry just smirked and shrugged it off as unimportant. Rita’s quill was rapidly filling the page that rested on her knee. The streak-haired teen had to wonder what could possibly be so intriguing about his wand.

Ollivander looked at the young man and nodded. He handed the wand back and said, “A very strong wand… use it well.” He then turned to the judges and announced, “All these wands seem to be in perfect condition.”

“Thank you all,” said Dumbledore, standing up at the judges’ table. “You may go back to your lessons now — or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end —”

Harry got up to leave, but the man with the black camera jumped up and cleared his throat.

“Photos, Dumbledore, photos!” cried Bagman excitedly. “All the judges and champions, what do you think, Rita?”

“Er — yes, let’s do those first,” said Rita Skeeter, whose eyes were upon Harry again. “And then perhaps some individual shots.”

The photographs took a long time. Madame Maxime cast everyone else into shadow wherever she stood and the photographer couldn’t stand far enough back to get her into the frame; eventually she had to sit while everyone else stood around her. Karkaroff kept twirling his goatee around his finger to give it an extra curl; Krum, whom Harry would have thought would have been used to this sort of thing, skulked, half-hidden, at the back of the group. The photographer seemed keenest to get Fleur at the front, but Rita Skeeter kept hurrying forward and dragging Harry into greater prominence, making him snap at her for manhandling him. Then she insisted on separate shots of all the champions. At last, they were free to go.

Harry shot Skeeter one more warning look and accompanied Mr. Scott out of the castle. “I don’t trust that reporter. She seems far too interested in me to let anything rest.”

The Vice Principal nodded his head in agreement and said, “I’ll let your Aunt Gilly and Sirius know what she looks like so they can keep an eye out.”

“I’ll tell the other kids,” Harry added. They went back to the houseboat and Harry rejoined his class. After dinner, Harry and the other students were in the living area when he let them know about the ceremony and the Skeeter woman. They all said they would keep on the lookout.

The next day Rita Skeeter wrote an article on the champions. Another headline read: **The Boy Who Lived, stuck up and uncaring.** The story went on as to how Harry didn’t care for Britain and that he was rude and crude to everyone he met. It also speculated that this might be brainwashing from his current guardian, the article called the aunts cruel and unjust; it accused them of kidnapping and turning Britain’s icon against them.

Harry immediately called Mr. Roberts and his lawyer in America, Mr. Prickle, to bury the witch. Gilly went to the office of the Daily Prophet and confronted the editor. She brought Sirius and Mr. Roberts with her. The argument that ensued would be remembered for quite a while as not only did Gilly tear the man a new one, she also destroyed his office.

“Just who the hell do you think you are? If I get my hands on that bitch you call a reporter, I’m going to make sure she understands just what ‘cruel and unjust’ means,” Gilly said, her hair whipping around her face as she faced off the smug looking man behind the editors desk. That look was wiped off when the wind started throwing his papers and books around the room. “Don’t you think for one minute you are off the hook, jackass. It is your responsibility to make sure the articles printed in your paper are factual. So I am holding you personally responsible for the damages to my reputation.”

“Now see here, you can’t come into my office, and make these accusations. It is a known fact that Mr. Potter was kidnapped. It only makes sense that it was you would did it,” the editor replied as he ducked a book that flew at his head.

Gilly slammed her hands on the desk, causing it to crack down the middle, “a known fact!? I’ll have you know that I have the papers to prove I didn’t do anything. Sirius Black and Madam Longbottom both signed off on the adoption, so you tell me how that is kidnapping? If you were a good little editor you would have gone to Gringotts or the Ministry and received the full report, but no, you are just some stupid glory-hound asshole, who only wants a sensational story.”

She continued along that vein for a half an hour and after the formidable witch finished with her rant; Mr. Roberts slapped papers on the unusable desk and informed the editor that the paper was being sued for slander. And if they wanted out of the lawsuit they would print a retraction and an apology. He also said that if they didn’t want this scene to replay itself, they would keep Rita Skeeter away from the SMI team.

Sirius, being the smartass that he was, threw one hundred Galleons at the cowering man, ‘for damages’. The three trooped out of the building and went back to the houseboat, to let Harry know what happened.

The next day the Daily Prophet printed a retraction and posted an article that Gilly Owens was indeed the legal guardian of Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. It had quotes from the goblins, a Ministry clerk, Sirius and Augusta stating that all the paperwork was legal. They formally apologized for the previous article. Harry and his family wrote that the apology was accepted— for now.

It was a week before the first task and Harry started hearing voices carry across the lake. Some were yelling, others were hissing. So that night he went into the Forest, donning his Invisibility Cloak, to see what was making all the ruckus. He came upon an enclosure that housed four dragons. There were tents on the outside of the structure that contained around twenty men. Harry smirked to himself and snuck around the fence to see if there was a dragon unoccupied.

He finally stumbled on one with black scales and a lizard-like appearance. It also had yellow eyes, bronze horns and similarly colored spikes that protrude from its long tail. This particular dragon seemed to be more interested in her eggs at the moment, than the puny humans running around.

Harry smiled, ‘Perfect.’ He crept around the body of the dragon, keeping far enough away so that he wouldn’t be caught unaware. Just because he was invisible didn’t mean she couldn’t smell him. The dragon looked up from her eggs and gazed around the area in front of her. She snorted and flames shot towards the unseen boy.

_“Whoa, peace,”_ Harry hissed, after he Jumped out of the way. _“I mean you no harm.”_

_“Then why do you not show yourself?”_ the mother protested, thinking only of her eggs.

_“I wanted to talk to you without your handlers knowing I am here. I want to explain why you and your babies were brought to this place. And maybe we can reach an agreement. It will be fun,”_ Harry explained quickly.

_“How will it be fun? Can you promise not to hurt me or my young? What of the other females and their eggs?”_ the dragon questioned. It wasn’t often that a human could talk to dragons. The last she knew of was a man named Voldemort. And he only wanted to control them. He found out quickly enough that the giant lizards were not to be tamed. It was only because they wanted a safe haven that they allowed the dragon-tamers to think they could be corralled. Of course this dragon knew nothing about the Gringotts dragons, as they were taken very young and tortured to compliance.

_“If we make plans and I convince the other people into agreeing with them, then yes, I can promise you and yours will not be hurt,”_ the tri-color haired boy solemnly swore. He would get the other three to agree, if not then they were on their own, but he figured they would comply, it was better to have the dragons on their side.

_“Let us plan then,”_ the dragon said as she lowered her head to where she heard the voice.

So Harry explained why the mothers were here and what he planned. They talked through the night and soon enough he was too tired to continue. So he bade her good night and Jumped to the shore and then to the boat.

Unfortunately for him Mr. Scott was up early and the wayward student took off the Cloak right when he was coming through the doors. “Just where have you been, young man,” the Vice Principal asked with a disappointed look on his face.

“I promise, I have a very good reason for being out this late,” Harry said, holding his hands up in supplication. He then hurriedly explained about meeting the dragon and the plans that were made. Mr. Scott nodded in all the right areas, but the disapproving look didn’t fade.

“Okay, I understand, however, you broke the rules— again. I’m going to have to ground you from visiting your aunt and godfather for the rest of the week,” he said sternly. “Harry, you have to understand that you are not above the rules. They are there for a reason. Now get to bed and try and get some sleep.” He took the boy by the shoulders and steered him towards the stairs.

Harry slumped his shoulders, in defeat and weariness, and trudged off to his bed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

The next day a very tired Harry Potter made his way to the castle, with the rest of the SMI team, for breakfast. Once again he, Neville and an unsympathetic Jordan sat at the Hufflepuff table. Jordan was upset that Harry hadn’t woken him and Neville to go see the dragons.

Harry sat across from Cedric and passed him a note, unnoticed by the rest of the table. The seventh year read the note under the table, looked at Harry and nodded. Everyone ate the meal and talked about nothing in particular, still going over the differences in cultures, but keeping it light.

Just when breakfast was almost over, Cedric got up and went to talk to the other champions. They were wary at first, but he talked them around. They left separately and met at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry got there last and smirked at them.

“So, what if I tell you guys, I can guarantee that you won’t be hurt in the first task?” he asked smugly, looking at each of their faces.

“’ow can you make such a promise?” Fleur sneered, making her face twist unattractively.

“Oh, I know that you know what the first task entails. But, I have a secret weapon,” Harry answered the smug look never leaving his face.

“Okay, Harry, I’ll bite, what is your secret weapon?” Cedric asked a questioning gleam in his eyes. He wasn’t going to underestimate this young man.

“Well… If I tell you, you have to promise not to freak out,” the fourteen year old hedged.

“Vhy vuld ve… freak out?” Viktor asked, joining the conversation.

“Some would say what I can do is considered Dark,” the streak-haired boy answered with a casual shrug.

The other three looked at each other; the same question seemed to be flitting through their minds. Finally after a minute of silent conversing, Cedric said, “Okay, I promise not to… jump to conclusions.” The other two nodded in agreement.

So Harry told them about his midnight wandering and the talk he had with the Hungarian Horntail. He was rather impressed that they didn’t seem to be under the impression he was Dark. Viktor actually looked jealous. Fleur lost her sneer and listened carefully. Cedric did look wary for a minute, but as the story went on he relaxed.

The SMI champion asked what they were planning for their performance. It took a while to convince Viktor to change his tactics, but they came to an understanding that no dragon was to be hurt and they were to take extra care around the eggs. Harry promised to talk to the dragons and let them know each plan.

After that meeting Harry gathered up Neville and Jordan and took them to visit the dragons. This time Harry talked to the blue-silver dragon since the Horntail was occupied with the dragon-tamers. He told her the plans and let her tell the others.

It was going to be quite the show.


	35. Playful Dragons

**Chapter 35 Playful Dragons**

**AN: I would like to thank my betas for looking over this fic, alix33 and darrelldeam. All mistakes are my own. It is a very bad habit of mine, to re-read and re-adjust previous chapters, then re-post them. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they keep me happy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_November 22, 1994_ **

The SMI’s silver and blue streak-haired champion woke up the morning of the first task with a big grin on his face. He hopped out of bed, showered and donned a silver and blue striped jogging suit, his name blazing in silver on the back of his jacket, with similar colored running shoes. He shook Neville and Jordan to get them up and ready.

“Harry,” Neville grumbled. “Why are you waking us up at 6 a.m.? We don’t even have class today.” He pulled the blanket back over his head and started to go back to sleep.

Jordan just shook his head and started to pull out his own jogging suit, only it was a green top with black pants. All of the kids were going to be wearing them. They didn’t feel that wearing robes would be comfortable, so they decided to support Harry and go with jogging clothes. He headed to the bathroom, leaving the cousins to quarrel.

“I need to go and talk to Aunt Gilly,” Harry said as he poked his cousin’s shoulder. “So get up and come with me.” Gilly and Sirius had visited him once that week to tell him that they were upset that he got grounded again. Then they smiled and said they were glad he had a plan for the dragons. Harry informed them that he would come and see them on the day of the task.

“Alright, stop poking me,” Neville complained as he too got out of bed.

After Neville dressed the three boys went to get some coffee in the kitchen. “Wheres do you thinks yous are being going?” Kippy asked, brandishing a spoon at the teens.

“It’s okay, Kippy, I have permission this time. I have to go and talk to Aunt Gilly,” Harry explained quickly. “Don’t worry about breakfast, we’ll eat there.”

“Yous better have,” Kippy harrumphed; she raised her boys better than to always get in trouble. “Drink yours coffee.” She waved her hand and three mugs appeared. The boys grabbed a mug and went to the living area to watch the morning news.

“At least the weather is going to cooperate,” Jordan pointed out when the forecaster said it would be sunny, but cold.

“Yeah, that’s something,” Harry said, sipping his coffee.

After they finished they put their mugs in the sink and went to the deck. They Jumped straight to Gilly’s front yard. The little table was still sitting there and even they felt the compulsion to sit at it. They went to the front door and knocked, hoping the couple was up.

A very grumpy Sirius answered. “Do you have any idea what time it is?” he asked with a glare. He was still in his sleep attire, silk black pajamas. His hair was mussed and he did not look happy.

“Aunt Gilly knew I was going to be here,” Harry said as he held his hands out in commiseration and smiled.

The dog Animagus just growled and let them in. Gilly, who was barefoot, but otherwise dressed in a pair of jeans and a green sweatshirt, was in the kitchen making breakfast. “I’m making pancakes. You guys grab the fixings and set the table,” she said from the stove.

“Okay,” the boys said, and then proceeded to do just that, laying out syrup, fresh fruit and butter.

Sirius appeared wearing an outfit similar to Gilly’s and sat at the table. He grabbed a cup of coffee and frowned at everyone. The boys just laughed at him and helped Gilly bring the pancakes to the table. They ate the wonderful meal and talked of unimportant things. After everyone was full they proceeded to the living room and sat on the comfortable couches.

“So,” Gilly started, “why did you want to meet so early?”

“Well, you know my plans and I told you what the others will be doing, but I want to see them. So, I was wondering if you could take one of Sirius’ mirrors to the stadium and show me how it goes,” Harry said with a puppy dog look.

Gilly just chuckled and nodded. It was a good idea.

“What happens if the sun catches it? It might blind the dragon or the champion, that would be bad,” Neville asked. A worried frown crested his forehead and lips.

“Hmmm, I didn’t think of that,” the streak-haired boy said thoughtfully. “You could put Aunt Jet’s shade spell on it,” he said suddenly, brightening up.

“That might work, sweetie,” Gilly said, nodding her head. “My concern is how are you going to be able to see the arena? The seats we’re assigned are pretty high up.”

“Oh, yeah that’s a problem.”

“Ah, worry not, my dear, Remus and I put in a magnifying charm. We figured that it would be a good way to spy on people,” Sirius said with a smile, and then showed them how to make that function of the mirrors work.

That decided they turned the topic to their heritage and the Wizengamot. The two young Heirs expressed their opinion of how the government here had so far not impressed them. Sirius pointed out that maybe they could change it and that no matter what they decided he would support them. The conversation went on for an hour, until the boys had to go back to the boat.

They met the rest of SMI in the living area of the boat. Mr. Scott greeted them and asked, “Harry, are you ready for today?”

“Yes, sir, I have everything planned out now,” Harry said with a smirk.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” the Vice Principal said, then returned to reading his book.

“Don’t worry, Teach, I got this,” the young man said with confidence. Mr. Scott shot him a mild glare for the nickname and then once more returned to his book, a small smile played on his lips.

The rest of the students tried their best to get Harry to tell them what to expect, but the teen wasn’t talking. So they finally gave up and some started in on their homework, while others watched a movie. They spent the day idly and soon it was lunch. Harry and Mr. Scott had to go to the Champions' tent while the rest ate lunch. Harry grabbed a sandwich to eat on the way. They Jumped to the shore and decided to walk the rest of the way and enjoy the nice, albeit cold, day.

When the stadium came into view, Harry couldn’t help but be impressed. It was a large, five stories high, wooden structure. The seats were all cushioned and there were stairs running up the sides and the middle of the rows. A large overhang shaded the seats. There was a large box for the judges and officials. Off to the side was a screened off area, where Harry knew the dragons were. On the other side were two tents, one was where the contestants would wait and the other was the Hospital tent.

The two men made their way to the Champions’ tent. They were the second ones there, beaten by Krum. The two boys nodded at each other and stayed on separate sides of the tent. Viktor was wearing nice Quidditch robes, red with brown fur trimming, with his name embroidered on the back.

Harry and his teacher held a quiet conversation in the corner while they waited for the rest of the champions. Fleur was the next to join them, she shot a worrying look towards Harry, who just winked and smiled. The Beauxbatons’ student was wearing what seemed to be a formal form of her uniform. It was a floor length, light blue dress, with a darker blue over robe. Her name was also sewn on the back. She was accompanied by her Headmistress, the very tall, Madam Maxime.

Cedric came next, escorted by his Head of House. He too was wearing Quidditch gear, only his was colored yellow and black. The seventh year boy lifted his eyebrow at the casual wear of the youngest contender. Harry just smirked and shrugged, nodding to his Vice Principal, who was dressed in a pair of jeans and a green sweatshirt, like the rest of the adults from America.

Professor Sprout took her leave when the judges entered the tent. Ludo Bagman was also there, he gave an uninteresting speech trying to throw the champions off guard. He held out a bag and the four teens chose the dragon they had to get around.

The adults left and Harry went to the center of the tent and motioned for the others to join him. He pulled out his mirror and called, “Gilly Owens.” His aunt’s face filled the mirror and you could see the excitement and worry lining her eyes.

“Hi, sweetie. Give me a minute to add the shade spell and get it to magnify,” she said quietly. Suddenly the already shaded area dimmed more and then the only thing you could see was the hair of her left eyebrow. The mirror turned and the Swedish Short-snout could be seen in the arena.

Cedric let out a whistle, “That is one big dragon.”

“Just remember the plan and you should be okay,” Harry said clapping the older boy on the shoulder.

Bagman’s voice could be heard explaining the task to the audience. Then the cannon went off and Cedric straightened his shoulders and moved to the entrance. As he left the other three gathered around the mirror. They saw the Hufflepuff enter the ring and stop. The crowd was cheering then they quieted and waited to see what the Hogwarts champion would do.

Cedric shot a spell at one of the larger rocks, which lined the area. He changed it into a large cow then motioned his wand towards the dragon. He spelled two more and they too went to distract the large fire-breathing creature. The Short-snout played its part well and merely started to play with the constructs, batting them around and generally having a good time. Cedric didn’t let his guard down and kept to the outside of the arena. Soon he was at the nest and grabbed the golden egg. He hot-footed it back to the entrance and looked at the dragon.

The dragon was now corralling all three cows and cooing over them like they were part of her clutch. The Hufflepuff just shook his head at the sight and moved away. The audience was baffled, but the Hogwarts students and staff gave a good cheer for their champion. Talking broke out when Cedric made his way to the Hospital tent, Harry and the other two could hear Gilly’s neighbors gossip on how there was little action in the event and they couldn’t understand why the dragon was acting like that.

Unknown to the champion, the Short-snout had kept a very close eye on the contestant. If he for one moment deviated from the plan then she would have toasted him. But he only took the golden egg and left, so she decided to have some fun. The only reason she knew what to do is all the plans were laid out over the week. When the cows were formed then she knew which actions to take.

The other three champions watched and smiled. The two foreigners hadn’t really trusted this American until that moment. They shared a look and a nod and confirmed they too would follow the plans. They watched as the dragon and her eggs were taken away and replaced with the Common Welsh Green and her nest.

The cannon roared and Fleur left the tent. As she entered the arena, she let out her Veela charm, but only mildly. The Green pretended to sleep, and started to blow funny shaped smoke from her nose. Fleur walked down the center of the ring and calmly took the golden egg. When she was returning a large cloud of smoke, shaped like a heart, enveloped her and made her cough. She batted it away and glared at the dragon, and then made her exit.

Beauxbatons stood and applauded their champion. The rest of the crowd gave a soft, confused applause as whispering started again.

When the dragon was replaced with the Chinese Fireball, Krum went to get ready. The cannon fired again and he went to the ring. As planned he didn’t hurt the dragon or her nest. He simply summoned his broom and tried to fly over the dragon. The Fireball made as if to snap at an annoying pest, but otherwise let the Bulgarian Seeker appear to out fly her. Krum performed a Wronski Feint and grabbed the egg and flew out of the ring. The Fireball continued to snap her jaws at him until he was out of reach.

This time the entire audience cheered at the daring move. The dragons were switched again and the Fireball was replaced with the Hungarian Horntail.

Harry turned off the mirror and waited for the cannon. When he heard it he jogged out of the tent and waved to the spectators. He winked at the dragon and fired a dome spell on the nest. He then added the sunlight spell to keep them warm. The Horntail glanced at her eggs and was satisfied that they were protected.

The streak-haired champion then raised his arm (pretending to use his wand) and called clouds to form. The wind kicked up and the sky around the arena darkened. Harry then caused the air to chill and soon snow was falling. The wind started to blow harder and the flurry became a blizzard, making the Horntail sleepy. Harry then Jumped to the nest and spelled a hole in the bottom of the dome on one side, making sure the sunlight spell was still warming the eggs. He snuck his hand in and snatched the golden egg and closed the hole. Then the youngest champion Jumped to the hospital tent, leaving the storm to blow itself out, it should only last a few minutes.

Harry pulled out the mirror, while the Hogwarts nurse checked him, and called his aunt. She smiled that he was okay and showed the stadium once again. The audience was quiet, but for a few murmurings, waiting to see what was next.

As slowly as it appeared, the snow faded and the clouds dissipated. The Horntail had wrapped herself around her nest and appeared to be sleeping. Everyone looked around to see where the SMI champion was. Ludo could be heard asking someone to go and check on the boy. The dragon handlers milled around the ring, but couldn’t find the youngest contestant.

Harry and Gilly just laughed at their confusion. Finally Madam Pomfrey sighed and told him to go and put them out of their misery. So Harry grabbed the golden egg and went to the entrance of the tent. He shot a look at Mr. Scott, who nudged Dumbledore and pointed to his student.

The crowd broke out in cheers, shouting and stomping their feet as they wildly clapped their hands.

The rest of the champions joined Harry to find out their scores. They were put out that the youngest of them didn’t tell what his plan was. So it was with great frustration that they viewed him placing first, with Viktor next then Cedric and last Fleur. Every Judge, except Karkaroff (who grudgingly gave a six), gave Harry a ten for his great display of magic.

The streak-haired boy just shrugged, he was in this to win. He may not have entered, but he was damned if he wasn’t going to try his best. It wasn’t his fault they chose lame maneuvers for their dragons. Well, except Krum, because flying was awesome. They should just be thankful he gave them a heads-up on what to expect. If they had trusted him they could have pulled off something just as entertaining.

One of the dragon handlers came up to Harry and waved him to the side. “Hey, Harry,” the stocky redhead said, causing Harry’s eyebrow to quirk at the familiarity, “we need you to undo the spell you put on the eggs.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, not a problem,” Harry said and followed the man to where the nest still laid. He took out his wand and circled the clutch and the sunlight spell vanished. He made a sweeping motion and the dome disappeared.

“Harry,” the still unnamed redhead said, “do you think you can teach us that? We have a similar spell but it isn’t quite as hot as this one and we still seem to lose some eggs. This would be extremely helpful.”

“Sure,” Harry shrugged, “it really isn’t my spell, but I can show you how it works.”

So they spent a few minutes going over the incantation and as soon as the smiling handler understood, he levitated the nest and moved off to show his coworkers.

Gilly, Sirius, Neville and Jordan joined Harry in the now empty arena. They clapped him on the back and congratulated him on his victory.

“So now what?” the blue and silver haired boy asked.

“Well, you know what the second task is, but you really should try and open the egg,” Gilly pointed out. “But right now I think Mr. Scott has something to tell you. He’s on the boat with everyone else, setting up a party.”

“Okay,” came the reply and they all Jumped to the shore and Jumped to the boat. As Harry entered the room a round of cheering and applause exploded. Kippy had gone all out and decorated the living area with blue and silver banners and streamers. They drank butter beer, pop and juice and ate the finger food the house elf made. Halfway through the party Mr. Scott held up his hands for quiet. When the room fell silent he made a small speech.

“Congratulations to Mr. Harry Owens-Potter for a task well done. I commend your bout of fair play in letting the others know what to expect. The show you put on dazzled the judges and I would like to think it is because of your schooling, but I know it was a combination of your family’s teaching and the school. So here is a toast to a great first task, may the next two be just as good.” He lifted his glass and the rest joined him.

Harry just waved and smiled. Gilly and Sirius cheered and clapped the boy on the back.

Mr. Scott held his hands up again. “Next there will be a Yule Ball where the champions will have the first dance.”

The group cheered, but Harry panicked. No one told him he would have to find a date. The girl he was seeing was still in the States. He would have to write her and tell her that this was something that he couldn’t avoid and just pray she understood. He looked around at the females on the team, but they just grinned and shook their heads, pointing at the males in the room. The teen contender deflated; now he was going to have to go and ask a girl. He really hoped his girlfriend was forgiving.

“Cheer up, Harry,” Sirius said from beside him, “all you have to do is make a friend. There are plenty of girls that don’t think your some hero. Just find one of them and ask her.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Harry said, thinking that over. There were only a few Hogwarts’ girls that he knew that didn’t go all starry-eyed around him. He didn’t know them that well though. He shook his head and cleared his thoughts, then turned to Neville and Jordan. “I’m going to go and say goodbye to the dragons tomorrow. Want to join?” he asked.

“Yeah, we can do that,” Neville nodded. Jordan smiled and nodded as well. The three made plans for the next day, until Mr. Scott finally called a halt to the festivities and sent everyone to bed.

After classes the next afternoon, the trio made their way through the forest. They snuck to the back and got the attention of the Horntail.

“ _Sasha,”_ Harry whispered. _“I’m over here,”_ he added when she looked around. _“I just came to let you know how thankful I am that you played my game with me. And to say goodbye, it was fun.”_

_“Anything to protect our young. Had any of those in the task not followed along, we would have destroyed them,”_ the Horntail said as quietly as she could.

_“I understand, I would have expected as much. I did warn them,”_ Harry said, and he had. After the second visit to the dragons he had informed the others that they would be in danger if they didn’t go along with him.

_“I am thankful that you came to us and explained everything,”_ the mother dragon said, lowering her head to the speaker.

_“Great, well tell the others my thanks. We have to go now,”_ the teen said as he patted her snout, and then the three boys departed back to the boat.

Harry went to the study room and sent off an email to his girlfriend, Jessie. He explained what was going on and expressed his disappointment that she couldn’t be there with him. He waited for a few minutes to see if there was a reply, when his mailbox dinged he opened the email and smiled. Jessie said she understood, but he better send something good for Valentine’s Day. They communicated back and forth for a few minute, then she had to go back to class.

Feeling much better, Harry said his goodnights and went to find Neville and Jordan. His cousin was in the same boat as him and had to find a date. They talked about the girls they knew and tried to figure out who was single and who wasn’t.

“Well, since we mainly sit with the Hufflepuffs, there is Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Sally Anne Perks. None of them come across as fangirls,” Neville said thoughtfully, tapping his chin.

“There’s that little blond third year in Ravenclaw,” Jordan suggested. He was going with Nicole, who was the only girl their age on the SMI team.

“The strange one that sits next to me and tells me nargles are infesting the people around her?” Harry questioned. He wasn’t sure if that was someone he could spend the night dancing with.

Jordan just shrugged. “She seems harmless enough. Besides, she can’t go unless someone asks her,” he added.

Neville smirked and said, “You could always ask that little redhead in Gryffindor.” He just laughed when Harry threw a pillow at him.

“No thanks,” Harry said with a shudder. That young lady followed him everywhere whenever he was in the castle.

“Who said you had to limit yourself to Hogwarts, you could always ask one of the visitors,” Nicole said as she joined them.

“That’s true,” Harry nodded and started thinking of the girls he knew in Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, which weren’t many. They, however, might be in the same position he was and had boyfriends back home.

The discussion went on till bedtime, but they came no closer to a conclusion. It did give Harry much to think about as he retired. 


	36. Getting to Know You… Kinda

**Chapter 36 Getting to Know You… Kinda**

**AN: I would like to thank my betas for looking over this fic, alix33 and darrelldeam. All mistakes are my own.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or Practical Magic. J.K. Rowling and everyone who helped her publish the works own Harry Potter. Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Adam Brooks (screenplay) the publisher and directors own Practical Magic.**

**Hppmhppm**

**_November 24, 1994_ **

A few days after the first task, SMI went to breakfast in the Great Hall. They had eaten on the boat the last couple of days, to let any hard feelings blow over. As they entered the Hall all noise stopped. They halted their entrance and waited. Then the whispers started and then the pointing. Harry and his team noted who looked unhappy or threatening. Most were okay with how the first event turned out, others were glaring at them. It was decided to split once again and see what everyone was thinking.

“Ah, yes, let us give a nice round of applause to our youngest champion, Harry Potter,” Dumbledore said, rising from his throne. The staff complied and most of the student body followed. The Hufflepuffs, bar Cedric and his friends, didn’t.

The Beauxbatons’ students gave a soft applause, whereas the Durmstrang confused everyone by giving a hearty one.

Harry, Neville and Jordan sat at the least hostile table, which was Ravenclaw. It was sad that the Hufflepuffs seem to take it as a personal insult that Harry was in first place. You would think they were more about fair play.

Fleur was sitting next to Cedric’s girlfriend, Cho Chang, or something. The Chinese girl glared at Harry and his friends, and then pointedly turned away.

“Hey, Fleur, how are you today?” Harry asked politely as he ignored the other girl and her rudeness. He was beginning to understand that Hogwarts didn’t teach etiquette to its students.

“I am well, ‘arry. Zank you for asking,” the French champion said, she nodded to the space in front of her that opened up as the boys approached.

The trio filled their plates with fluffy scrambled eggs and toast. Jordan grabbed some sausage, while the other two forwent meat.

“‘arry, I wanted to zank you for making zings easier for us,” Fleur said softly as she twisted a lock of her hair, seeming a bit nervous.

“I only wanted to make it fair to everyone,” the tri-colored hair boy shrugged. “I’m just glad you didn’t deviate from the plans.”

“I am as well,” she said firmly. “Ze Yule Ball is next, do you know who you will be asking?”

“Well, I was hoping to get to know some people before I asked anyone. I don’t want to have to make some poor girl’s night miserable if me and my date don’t have anything to talk about. Do you know who you’re going with?” Harry was glad that the Veela got over herself and was no longer snubbing the other champions.

“I have not decided yet. Et iz ‘ard to find zomeone who does not fall for my charms,” she said delicately. “I have no wish to spend my night wiping ze chin of my date.”

Harry chuckled, “I am much in the same boat, without the benefit of Veela charms.”

“Yes, I imagine you are,” she nodded her understanding.

“So, Harry,” a seventh year boy interrupted, “How did you create that snowstorm? Did you learn it from you school? Is it something we can learn?” he leaned forward with the rest of his studious Housemates.

“It is actually pretty easy once you understand weather charms. The problem most people have is they want an instant storm and that makes it harder. All you really have to do is gather moisture from the air and consolidate it in one area, lower the temperature, and presto, a small snowstorm,” the SMI student explained casually. There was a bit more than that, but it was the root of the spell. If they were smart they’d figure it out for themselves.

“Our brother,” said one of the redhead twins from behind him.

“was drooling over,”

“the spell you gave him,”

“for the eggs. You would,”

“think that you were,”

“Merlin incarnate from the,”

“way he talked about you,” finished the one who started.

“Fred, George,” Harry nodded to the correct twin. “So that was your brother, huh? He was so excited he didn’t introduce himself.”

“Yup, that’s our Charlie,” Fred said.

“misplaces his mind if dragons are involved,” George said fondly.

“Well, when you write to him or see him, tell him it was my pleasure,” the streak-haired boy nodded. He was glad to help the dragons.

“Will do, Harry,” they intoned together, and then returned to their meal.

“Just how large is that family?” Neville said, after the twins left. “There are four of them at the Gryffindor table, and if I am not mistaken there’s one sitting at that the Staff Table.” He nodded his head to the redhead sitting next to Mr. Bagman.

“From what I understand,” said a dark-haired fourth year girl, “there is a dragon-tamer, the one the twins were talking about, and a curse-breaker. The one with the teachers is Percy, he graduated last year. Counting the four in Gryffindor, that’s seven kids in all. They are quite poor, but very nice people. Well, if you don’t include Mrs. Weasley’s howlers.” The nearest students cringed a bit.

“That woman could strip paint off a wall with her yelling,” agreed a fourth year blonde. The rest nodded in agreement.

“She sends them often?” Jordan asked. They were against the rules in SMI; the school felt they were abusive. If you wanted to yell at your kids you just waited until they got home that evening, though he could see that since Hogwarts was a boarding school that would be a little more difficult.

“Oh, yeah, every time the twins get caught she sends one. Not that it has any effect on them,” the brunette offered. “I’m Mandy Brocklehurst, by the way.” She held out her hand to Jordan.

“Miss Brocklehurst, I am Jordan Hilton. This is my friend, Neville Longbottom, and this is Harry Potter,” Jordan said as he shook her hand and indicated each of his friends.

“Nice to meet you all,” Mandy said causally. “These are my friends, Sue Li, Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin” she added, nodding to each girl.

“Thanks for not introducing us, Mandy,” one of the boys sniped. “I’m Terry Boot, that’s Michael Corner and the other guy is Anthony Goldstein.”

The trio shook everyone’s hand and nodded their heads to those they couldn’t reach. Soon enough the whole of the Ravenclaw table introduced themselves, except that little blonde third year. The SMI boys exchanged looks and Neville, who was closest to her, asked her name.

“Hello, Neville Longbottom, my name is Luna Lovegood,” she said in an airy voice. “I see the nargles leave your school alone,” Luna said with a tilt of her head, like she was looking for something by his ear. “Stay away from the mistletoe, they breed there.”

With a confused look Neville agreed to stay away from that plant. He had no idea what a nargle was, but he was sure he didn’t want one.

“You don’t want to talk to her,” the Chinese girl who shunned them earlier said snidely. “That’s Looney, she’s crazy and weird,” the girl sneered. “She should have never been sorted into Ravenclaw; I don’t even think someone like her should be in Hogwarts at all. She is just too crazy, her father isn’t much better. All she ever talks about is imaginary animals, she blames everything on them.”

“And you’re a bully and a bitch,” Harry snapped, making the Ravenclaws start at his language. “You would think that as someone older you would help a younger student who is obviously in need, but from what I’ve seen of you since I sat here you are a complete and total bully.”

“Luna,” Neville said softly while Harry dressed down the girl and her friends, “does your Head of House know what they say about you?”

“Oh, it is alright,” the little blonde said with a wave of her hand, “it is just the wrackspurts infesting them. Professor Flitwick can’t see them, you see. So he can’t uninfest them.” She nodded her head as if stating a sad fact.

“Be that as it may, you should either tell him how to help them or he should take them aside and try to make them understand what they are doing is wrong,” Neville tried to argue.

Fleur came around the table and draped her arm over the small girl, “I understand zome people are hurtful,” she said. “Being a Veela, I too was bullied. Zo believe me when I zay, you must tell an adult or zey will not stop.”

Harry was still chastising the students of Ravenclaw, making most of them hang their heads for not stopping the harassment of Luna, others were arguing back that it was their right to treat their Housemate that way.

“Your right? Who the fuck told you that? I’ll bet if I talk to your Head of House, who looks to me like someone who was picked on as a child, he wouldn’t agree. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll do just that,” the SMI champion said slamming his hands down on the table and getting off the bench. Jordan, Neville, Fleur and a reluctant Luna joined him. Many of the offenders protested, but they were ignored. The other House tables had stopped their conversation to find out what was upsetting the Boy Who Lived now.

The group headed straight towards Professor Flitwick. Mr. Scott, upon seeing their angry faces, sighed and moved forward to see what trouble his youngest student was causing this time. He stopped behind Harry and placed a restraining hand on the teen’s shoulder.

The students came to a halt in front of the diminutive professor. “Professor Flitwick,” Harry said with a polite nod of his head, “I seem to be having a disagreement with your House. They appear to be under the impression that it is okay to steal from and intimidate Miss Lovegood just because she is different. I would think someone of your caliber would stop such nonsense.”

“Miss Lovegood is this true?” the tiny teacher asked. When she merely nodded her head, he let out an irritated sigh. “I will address my House accordingly. Thank you, Mr. Potter, for bringing it to my attention.”

“Of course Potter would be the one causing trouble. I am sure he is exaggerating it, Filius. We do not even know this upstart. All he has done since he arrived is cause one scene after another,” the greasy headed man sneered, looking down his hooked nose at the boy.

“Now, now, Severus, if there is bullying going on it is only right that we know about it. Though I am sure you are correct and it is not to the extent he is stating it is. After all, if it were then Filius would have caught on to such happenings sooner,” The Headmaster said compliantly.

“Nevertheless, I will look into these accusations,” the Charms teacher said. “Miss Lovegood, if you will see me in my office after breakfast. We will go over what has happened so far.” He nodded to his quirky third year, berating himself for not seeing anything sooner.

The blonde smiled a dreamy smile, nodded her head at her Head of House and skipped away, causing the rest of the group to gaze wonderingly at her.

“Mr. Snape, I have warned you time and time again, to leave your hateful comments to yourself,” Mr. Scott said sharply with a warning glare. He kept his hand firmly on Harry’s shoulder to keep him from exploding at the Potions Master.

“That is Professor Snape,” Dumbledore said with a disappointed look over his spectacles.

“Whatever,” Mr. Scott waved away that argument, “It is clear to me why you cannot catch your students mistreating each other when you have such a man on your staff.” He then turned to the Great Hall, dismissing the protesting Hogwarts Professors, and said, “SMI students, it is time for class. Say your goodbyes and we will head out.”

The students said their farewells and made their way back to the boat. Fleur was in deep conversation with Madame Maxime, so Harry and his friends just waved and joined the rest of SMI for class. As a group they decided to walk to the boat so they could converse along the way.

“Harry, Harry, Harry, can’t you have one breakfast with Hogwarts without getting angry?” Cathy Montgomery said, causing everyone to chuckle.

“It’s not my fault they’re all pigheaded jerks,” the young man said as he pouted.

“Well, that’s one House I don’t think you’re going to find a date with,” Neville said to his cousin as he playfully shoved him.

“Dammit,” Harry said, “I got so caught up in Luna, I forgot all about that.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“I would say ask Luna, but I already did, while you were yelling at her bullies, and she said yes. I don’t know about you guys, but I like her weirdness,” Neville added, ruffling his cousin’s hair. Harry nodded his understanding; he didn’t think he was patient enough to attend the girl properly, so he was glad Neville stepped up.

“You can probably forget most of the Slytherins as well. That Snape guy all but threatened them with expulsion if they even think about it,” said Matthew Sarris with a grimace. “Though some of them are willing to take that chance to hook up with a rich man like you,” he finished with a wink and a nudge.

“That man has been a pain in my ass since day one,” Harry complained, “I mean, I know my dad and his friends were jerks to him, but he really should have been over it by now.”

“Some people just don’t know when to let things go,” offered Mr. Scott. He had already told Dumbledore to keep his pet Death Eater on a leash, but it seemed not even the mighty Headmaster could tame that overgrown child.

“I’m just glad Aunt Gilly and Padfoot weren’t there,” the youngest teen said. “If you think I’m bad, you should see them when someone insults me like that. Thanks for holding me back, Mr. Scott,” he nodded his head to the man.

“Try and have an easier time tomorrow, huh?”

“I’ll try,” came the reluctant response, making everyone snicker.

“Gryffindor might have a few prospects,” Mary Knowles said thoughtfully. “Their chasers all seem to think you’re a cute kid.”

“As long as it isn’t that stalker,” Jordan said with a shudder, “I wonder if her parents know just how intense their little girl is. Her brothers seem to find it funny.” He said with a shake of his head, knowing that if Maize acted like that their mother would take her to task.

Mary nodded in agreement. “They seemed to be egging her on. Doesn’t seem right to me to encourage a thirteen year old girl to chase a boy she doesn’t even know. Though that Granger girl kept trying to dissuade her,” she added thoughtfully.

“If Granger wasn’t so inquisitive I’d ask her, but I don’t see spending the night answering questions about my life.”

“Well you can count most of Hufflepuff out; they are sticking by their champion. It isn’t called the house of loyalty for nothing,” Steven Diaz said.

“Yeah, I figured that out for myself,” Harry shrugged, a bit miffed by that. He actually liked the girls there.

“Give them some time. I’m sure they’ll get over it soon,” Neville said.

“Yeah, maybe.”

They got to the shore of the lake and Jumped to the boat. Everyone went to their studies for the day. It was later that night that Harry sent off an email to his girlfriend complaining about how breakfast went. She sent back a reply that maybe he could save himself some frustration and ask his aunt. Or even bring one of the older aunts over to accompany him. That lifted his spirits a bit and he said he’d talk to her Saturday.

Friday was spent getting to know the Beauxbatons’ girls, but they mostly giggled and batted their eyelashes at the charming young man. So he turned his sights to the Durmstrang girls, there were only three in that group, but they all had dates with their schoolmates. Harry got to know them better anyway. They were pretty down to earth, and it seemed that Krum had put in a good word for him.

Saturday came and the trio went to visit Gilly and Sirius. After they greeted each other they sat in the homey living room.

“So, Harry, how goes the date hunting,” Sirius asked with a wink.

The tri-color haired boy ran his hands through his hair in complete defeat. “Not well at all. It seems all the sensible girls are already taken.”

“Poor baby,” Gilly deadpanned, and then grabbed her nephew in a one armed hug. “Are they really that bad?” she asked.

“No, not all of them, but most of the Hufflepuffs don’t want to have anything to do with me, and I didn’t make any friends with the Ravenclaws. There were a few Slytherins that approached me, but they seemed to want a contract out of me and not a date. Which could actually be beneficial, but I was hoping to make friends,” he said leaning into his aunt’s hug.

“What about you guys?” Sirius asked the other two.

“I’m going with Nicole, we came to an understanding before we left Salem, that if there was a social function we’d go with each other,” Jordan said.

“I’m taking Luna Lovegood,” Neville said with a shrug. “She seems like a decent girl.”

“Yeah, we heard about what happened on Thursday,” Gilly said with a lifting of her eyebrow.

“It’s not my fault,” Harry complained.

“I know, sweetie, and I’m proud of you for standing up for her,” she said, ruffling his hair.

“Me too,” Sirius added with a small smile.

“Jessie suggested that if I can’t find a date, that I could go with you,” Harry said leaning his head back on Gilly’s shoulder, looking at her with puppy dog eyes. “Or we could bring one of the Aunts over for the night.”

“If it’s really that hard to find yourself a date, let me talk to the Aunts and we’ll see what we can do,” Gilly complied. Plans were already circulating in her mind.

“Oi, what about me?” Sirius asked indignantly.

“Do you really want to spend the night at a table with Snape?” Gilly inquired.

“Maybe,” the dog Animagus sulked. He then caught her eyes and noted the mischief. He smirked internally, man he loved this woman.

“I’ll give it one more week, if I don’t find a nice girl that I think will not go all serious on me then I’ll let you know. If not then hopefully you or one of the Aunts will accompany me to the Ball.”

“How goes the gossip of Hogsmeade?” Neville asked changing the subject, seeing the mischievous look in his aunt’s eyes.

“My little table is always full,” Gilly said with a smirk. “Everyone wants to know all about the Boy Who Lived. Not that I tell them much, just enough that they know you’re a good kid.”

“Well, that’s good news. What are they saying about the first task?” Harry asked, wondering if the adults of Britain held the same grudges as the children.

“Most of them were damn impressed by your display of magic. I had to tell them how easy the spells were to get them to see that you aren’t some overpowered mage, or something,” Gilly answered, remembering all the downplaying she had been doing the last few days. She even had to pretend to use a wand and show them smaller, but similar, spells to the ones Harry had used. Most went away satisfied that Harry wasn’t someone who was going to try and show up their kids, but with the knowledge that Hogwarts didn’t teach that kind of magic.

“I had to do the same with some of the members of the Wizengamot,” Sirius added. They weren’t as easily distracted. They all but demanded that Harry show all of the Hogwarts students the spells he used. Those old men didn’t like the fact that some young Yank could do spell work their children didn’t know. Mr. Roberts argued them to a standstill, stating that it was family magic and they had no right to demand anything. Not wanting to set a precedent they backed down.

“I did tell the Ravenclaws the basis of the spells, if they look hard enough, they’ll figure it out. Then they won’t be as impressed as they first were, which will be a relief, I tell ya,” Harry said. Dealing with the other students was hard. He was glad the students of SMI didn’t view him as anything other than a kid, and treated him the same way they did Neville and Jordan.

“Let’s go into the village and get some candy for the Aunts,” Gilly said, getting up and grabbing her coat.

“That sounds like a plan; maybe we can do some shopping as well. I really haven’t had the chance to check out the stores here,” Harry said as he put on his winter jacket.

“That is because you keep getting grounded,” Sirius said with a proud smile.

“Not my fault,” the steak-haired boy pouted yet again.

“You seem to be saying that a lot,” Neville pointed out.

“Do not."

“Do too.”

“Don’t even start,” Gilly said with a laugh. “What are you guys, two?”

They bantered back and forth as they made their way in to the village for a day of shopping and relaxing. Now that Harry had asked his aunt about the Ball he was less inclined to be searching out a date. His aunt was still a beautiful woman, and he wouldn’t mind at all escorting her. 


End file.
